The four-piece rock band Kings of Leon – fronted by Caleb Followill, joined by his brothers Jared, Nathan, and cousin Matthew – have always been beloved in the UK, where audiences have always had time for exactly the kind of soaring rock vocals and anthemic choruses that the group do effortlessly.
Whlle ‘Sex on Fire’ still remains one of the group’s biggest hits and a karaoke night staple, a delve into the group’s rich discography since their 2008 release Only by the Night reveals many more depths to the group’s sound, and the group’s set at BST Hyde Park did much to showcase this. Even though ‘Sex on Fire’ did of course make an almost obligatory appearance on the band’s setlist, other hits like ‘Mustang’, ‘The Bucket’ and ‘Fans’ also appeared.
Deeper cuts like ‘Back Down South’ (from 2010’s Come Around Sundown) and ‘Milk’ (from 2004’s Aha Shake Heartbreak) rewarded devoted fans, and across the entire set both casual listeners and devoted fans alike were sure to find themselves rewarded.
The entire twenty-five strong setlist was a highly enjoyable journey from song to song, with audiences taking a breath only intermittently with frontman Caleb Followill’s unassuming quips – even including one referring to England’s painful struggle to defeat Slovakia at Euro 2024 mere few hours before – that underlined in many ways why the band has become so beloved over the years. The songs seem to echo and reach miles beyond the stage, surely far beyond the barriers of the festival compound, and shots of the other band members showcase their pure skill and ability.
Lights and screens glittered behind them and helped to add little elements of a visual vibe for the thousands in attendnace, but in some ways, all of that felt as though the band allowed it all to be there merely because it had to be. Some rockstars channel personas that enable them to add yet another dimension to their art. The Followills don’t do such a thing, instead just blistering across their discography, preferring for all their expression to come through the music.
Whilst the group have a strong following outside of North America and Europe but perform in those territories infrequently, fans who journeyed specially to catch the group will have experienced exactly what they will have hoped for: for that one evening, it was all about pure, unfiltered Kings of Leon rock and Hyde Park was all the better for it.
BST Hyde Park runs until the 14th of July 2024. Get tickets here.