Charting the rise of...Kings of Leon

Kings of Leon are Nathan, Matthew, Caleb and Jared Followill. Photo / Supplied

Coldplay and Kings of Leon will be playing in Auckland within a week of each other and while they've been here before, having them in town is the noughties equivalent of hosting the Beatles and the Rolling Stones back to back. Or at least seeing the contenders in the race to be "the next U2" – that is, if U2 ever give up being the next U2. To mark the double header, here's a recap of how the Southern US outfit has gone from left-field beginnings to mainstream heavyweight…


2000 – In the beginning
Formed in Nashville, Tennessee, by the three Followill brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared (sons of a travelling preacher man) and their cousin Matthew, the Kings of Leon kicked out some hick jams and called it the Holly Roller Novacaine EP. Four of the five songs from the EP went to feature on their debut album Youth and Young Manhood released on 2003 (8250 copies sold in NZ) and while not so popular in their homeland, in Europe these boys and the story of their origins were hot. Along with The Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and the Hives, they were seen as leaders of the "new rock revolution".

2004 – Slow and steady
At the 2004 Big Day Out they played a mid afternoon set on the top field. Caleb disappeared from the stage mid-set, as the band kept playing, and returned to tell the crowd he was a bit hot and bothered and needed to "throw up". Very rock'n'roll. Second album Aha Shake Heartbreak was released later this year which continued a small but steady rise in popularity, selling 14,500 copies in New Zealand.

Around this time, the still very young Kings – the youngest, Jared, was 18 – got a reputation for enjoying the rock'n'roll lifestyle and the womenfolk attracted to their shaggy southern charms. Never a problem in the Coldplay camp, apparently.

The band returned to New Zealand just seven months later to play a bold and confident show at the St James Theatre in Auckland on August 11, 2001. the set included new songs from the yet-to-be-recorded second album.

2005 – Getting noticed
The big time beckoned with a support slot for U2 on the North American leg of the Irish titans' Vertigo tour, as well as tours with Bob Dylan and Pearl Jam. The U2 influence could soon be heard in their new material.

2006 – Grandstanding
An afternoon slot on the main stage at the Big Day Out proved the Kings of Leon star was well and truly on the rise in New Zealand. "Their set – which caused the first big main stage crowd surges of the day – was ruggedly handsome, care of their weird and wiry songs," was the Herald verdict on the day.

2007 – Inflated egos
During recording for their third album Because of the Times there were fisticuffs between band members because, according to Caleb, "their egos were at an all time high". Beating each other up didn't impact on the album, which sold more than 26,000 copies in New Zealand, and with songs like On Call and Charmer, they went from an acquired taste to a bona-fide stadium act.

2008 – World domination
The boys played Vector Arena in a sellout show on January 14. But our reviewer couldn't help but feel the boys were a little tired of being on the road. "Their tour finale was as swiftly executed, aloof and professional as a businessman making his last transaction. It wasn't until crowd pleasers On Call and The Bucket that the band seemed to enjoy themselves."

In September Only By The Night was released. They went all Coldplay on us, coming up with their most polished and epic album to date and we, and the rest of the world, loved it. Powered by single Sex On Fire, so far it has sold 63,000 copies in New Zealand and with sales of nearly three million internationally, it is by far the band's biggest album.

2009 – Sellouts
They are bigger than ever in Britain, scoring the cover of Q magazine and winning best international act and best album at the Brit awards. At the awards Caleb and cuzzie Matthew came to blows backstage over, you guesses it, girls.

At the Grammy Awards Kings of Leon won best rock performance for Sex on Fire, beating Coldplay, but lost out to the Brits in the best rock album category.

Just over a year after their last sellout show in Auckland, the band return this month to play three sellout shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.