A band of brothers and one cousin, Kings of Leon is comprised of Caleb, Jared, Nathan, and Matthew Followill, and ever since the early 2000s the group’s exciting and gritty southern rock sound has enthralled audiences. Even after their incredible first three records, Youth and Young Manhood, Aha Shake Heartbreak, and Because Of The Times, the group managed to go stratospheric with slightly more pop-rock leanings. Think Only By The Night’s “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire”, arguably the band’s two biggest songs. The next two records, 2010’s Come Around Sundown, and 2013’s Mechanical Bull upped the ante with this more polished and somewhat safe Kings Of Leon era. However, after returning in 2016, the four-piece has scored a hat-trick of inspired, and creative releases with WALLS, When You See Yourself, and as of May this year, their sublime new record, Can We Please Have Fun.
Whilst amidst their UK tour, the band headlined BST Hyde Park on Sunday, June 30, to around a staggering 65,000 fans, with stellar support from the likes of Paolo Nutini and The Vaccines. Coming onto stage shortly after 8.20pm, Kings Of Leon performed a well-paced two-hour set which opened with “Ballerina Radio” taken from their newest release. From the get-go, it was so heartwarming to see such a mix of people from all walks of life sing along to some of their favourite KOL hits. After getting the show going with classic tracks like “On Call”, “The Bucket” and more, frontperson Caleb continually thanked and engaged with the crowd. He even alluded to the big Euros England vs Slovakia football match which happened earlier in the evening, he said: “England never loses”. At another point, he said: “It really is such a joy to be here, we haven’t played this place in seven years, I don’t know why.”
Undoubtedly, BST Hyde Park was treated with some special moments, the band performed “Taper Jean Girl” from Aha Shake Heartbreak which they haven’t played on their 2024 UK tour yet, and they even performed “Cold Desert” from Only By The Night. It was a joy to hear tracks from the new record like “Mustang”, “Nowhere To Run”, “Split Screen”, and “Seen” with an impressive extended outro. Personally speaking, it was thrilling to hear songs like “King of The Rodeo”, “Molly’s Chambers”, and “Waste a Moment” as it was my first time seeing them live, they did not disappoint in the slightest.
Not all bands can translate well from record to a live setting but Kings of Leon seemingly do it with ease. Hearing Caleb’s signature rich and raspy vocals was a real treat and the four-piece were tight throughout the 29-track show. The crowd erupted in cheers and mass singalongs ensued throughout the night as Kings of Leon performed tracks like “Sex On Fire” and set closer “Use Somebody” for example.
The only problem with this sort of show or any Kings of Leon gig is that their back catalogue is so vast, that you can only wonder about the songs they didn’t play on the night. But regardless of that, Kings of Leon put on a monumental performance at BST Hyde Park and the gig was a clear reminder of why the American four-piece is so beloved.
To find out about more upcoming shows at BST Hyde Park, click here.
Kings of Leon at BST Hyde Park – setlist
“Ballerina Radio”
“On Call”
“The Bucket”
“Taper Jean Girl”
“Manhattan”
“Revelry”
“Nothing To Do”
“My Party”
“Sex On Fire”
“Don’t Stop The Bleeding”
“Comeback Story”
“Pyro”
“Mustang”
“Molly’s Chambers”
“Milk”
“Fans”
“Back Down South”
“Nowhere To Run”
“King Of The Rodeo”
“Wait For Me”
“Split Screen”
“Bandit”
“Find Me”
“Closer”
“Seen”
Encore
“Rainbow Ball”
“Waste a Moment”
“Cold Desert”
“Use Somebody”
Words Cameron Poole
Main image photography Ellie Koepke
