Music
Kings of Leon
SSE Hydro, Glasgow
Jonathan Geddes
three stars
PERHAPS it was an illusion created by stage lighting, but there were moments where it appeared Kings of Leon were genuinely enjoying themselves here. Given that some of their previous gigs have featured the Followill clan looking like they were facing a trip to the hangman, that was no mean feat.
Perhaps part of the reason is that their latest album, WALLS, seems a natural conclusion to their journey as a band in recent years. After a few albums of pursuing arena rock, WALLS provided their slickest, poppiest offering yet, worlds away from their rough and ready early days.
It’s a shift that worked well here, particularly in a dynamic first half. A straightforward stage set-up, aided by a nicely varied lights and video arrangement, lent a surprisingly intimate vibe, and if The End was an underwhelming opener, then the pace rapidly picked up with a swaggering Molly’s Chambers, the chantable pop-rock of Eyes On You and a nifty bounce to Over’s rhythm. There was real urgency there, which contrasted effectively with an acoustic section’s back-porch take on Comeback Story and a minimalist WALLS that built into the full band playing.
At that point, the back curtain dropped, the band were joined by two extra musicians, and the show started to stall. The feedback squall of Matthew Followill’s guitar enlivened Crawl terrifically, but there remains something frustratingly monolithic about their larger moments.
The predictable Radioactive, weary drag of Closer and meat and potatoes rock of Pyro may well be constructed for arenas, but they are extremely short on genuine personality or any sense of chaotic excitement, leaving Caleb’s Followill’s distinctive vocal underused. It meant the closing run was too often a trudge compared to the earlier sprint.
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