Photo: WENN.com
It was always tempting fate – wasn't it? If having a song entitled 'Sex on Fire' in your armoury wasn't enough, bolstering it with a cut from new LP, 'Come Around Sundown', entitled 'Pyro' was sure to put the mockers on it.
Sure enough, when news emerged last December bourbon-soaked blue-rockers Kings Of Leon had pulled their sold out O2 Arena gig at the last minute the reason, alas, was a fire on a tour bus.
Swan Vestas and Zippo lighters were presumably confiscated then prior to the stage being set for last night's (June 1) re-arranged show to promote their fifth studio LP.
Thankfully, there were enough fireworks – both musically and pyrotechnically – on stage to satisfy any budding firestarters in the audience. Casually sashaying on stage at the unrock'n'roll time of 8.45pm, many a reveller was caught on the hop and it wasn't until a few tracks in that seats were hurriedly filled. The latecomers missed a treat too as the Followill boys got off to a flyer.
Opener 'Four Kicks' bristled and crackled with scuzzy power, while a jubilant 'The Bucket' sent the masses into beery raptures. A frenetic 'Spiral Staircase' and a quite joyous Fans – ebulliently powered on by a strapped up Nathan on drums, maintained the momentum in a 25-track strong set.
If the sheer size and popularity of the band had not dawned on me yet, by the time they aired the bulk of the new material it certainly had.
New tracks, even for enormodome players like KOL, are usually greeted with audible groans and hurried trips to the bar or toilets. But the soul-soaked 'Pyro', laconic drawl of 'Mary' and Tennessee homage 'Back Down South' were lapped up like stone-cold classics.
Yet while the Nashville quartet's musicianship, song canon and stadium-sized sound can not be questioned – they do lack the showmanship to catapult them alongside true arena stars.
Elbow's recent gig at the same venue saw the easy charm of frontman Guy Garvey engage to the extent he had the whole audience in the palm of his hand – a feat your could never see shy, yet humble frontman Caleb matching. Yet when you can unleash the electric 'On Call', über-power ballad 'Use Somebody' and career catapulter 'Sex On Fire' as a closing salvo – you have to ask 'does it really matter?'
I guess the world's biggest band just let the music walk the talk for them.
