KINGS OF LEON | LIVE REVIEW
Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wed 2 July
Having actually attended a concert like this one in a reviewing capacity, it’s hard for your curiosity not to get the better of you. Sneaking a peek at what other writers in my field have written about Kings Of Leon, on this gig and tour, I’ve seen some pretty harsh reviews. Some have said that Caleb Followill and co. make playing a stadium look like a chore; others have called the whole affair impersonal, citing a lack of interaction with the crowd.
And yet, I have to say I disagree and was entertained beyond my expectations. No, KOL don’t ooze charisma; no, they don’t punctuate their sets with interludes of fake gratitude for how amazing and unique the crowd are. Personally, I think this says a lot for their character: they haven’t turned into obnoxious rock stars who use other people’s time and money to talk about their own feelings and agendas.
This lack of banter with the crowd was made up for the fact that KOL’s songs sounded exactly as they do on the radio or on your iPod or on your CD player (if you are an old fashioned girl like me). This, for me, more than makes up for their perceived lack of charisma. I’ve had too many gigs marred by the big hits being transformed into near-unrecognisable renditions because the artist wants to flaunt their talent.
Seemingly still on a high from their set at Glastonbury, Glaswegian four-piece Twin Atlantic kicked things off. Their 2014 hit Heart And Soul, along with imminent single Brothers And Sisters, got the crowd going via sexy guitar riffs and hands-in-the-air choruses. Following an interlude consisting of big-screen clips of the headliners, just in case we’d forgotten our reason for attending, London boys White Lies took to the stage. Contrasting notably with the clapalong choruses of Twin Atlantic, swapping the these two bands’ running order might have been wiser: White Lies’ gloomier post-punk repertoire didn’t really translate to an audience this size.
The atmosphere at the Liberty was, nonetheless, euphoric. The sun was beating down on the Welsh stadium, and in the haze of the dusky sunshine Kings Of Leon were a perfect background to a blissful evening. Meeting a 72-year-old grandmother at the gig was testament to this – the lady proved you are never too old to rock, sat with her bottle of lemonade swaying and singing along.
One review I read suggested that, for a super-sized concert like this, bands should go out of their way to add a personal touch, as you can feel lost in the masses. I tend to – once again – disagree; with a stadium gig, you know what you are getting. You have bought your ticket knowing you are one of thousands. These affairs aren’t just for the hardcore fans, but also those who just love the hits, and KOL definitely delivered.
Whoever arranged the evening’s setlist was astute. Starting off with their older soft rock/blues stuff, such as Fans, they mixed in a clutch of their latest songs from most recent album Mechanical Bull and finished off with big anthems Use Somebody and Revelry. At that stage the crowd was pumping: everyone wanted one thing and we got it. The set finished with a mammoth rendition of Sex On Fire and the audience went crazy. The gig concluded with a polite few words of thanks and that was it. What I left with was a sore throat and a feeling of pure awe.
words DENIECE CUSACK photos LES DAVIES