It’s not that easy being of a King of Leon. The band’s first three albums saw them quietly talked about as a barnstorming hybrid of The Strokes and The Waltons, effortlessly bringing their Tennessee road side bar rock into the garage explosion of the last decade. Shift forward a couple of years and with next two releases The Kings of Leon are embraced by the mainstream, as “Sex on Fire,” from their fourth release 2008’s Only by the Night, became one of the rock anthems of year, selling over 6 million copies and a winning couple of Grammies to boot. However, their new found stadium filling success left traditionalists clutching their copies of Youth and Young Manhood tightly, scorning the band's populist new sound as if they had reached their “Rod Stewart pulling on his spandex for the first time” moment. A cancelled U.S. tour that was supposed to support their last album, Come Around Sundown, left many wondering if The Kings of Leon's realm was falling apart.
Well, judging by their appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night, it seems the Nashville quartet is back on the right road. New track “Supersoaker” sits comfortably between the frenzied southern fried raw energy of their first two records and the fist pumping frat rock Leon purists have so derided. While you can't please everybody, this should please most. The band is set to release their sixth album Mechanical Bull on September 24th, with a tour of Europe and the U.S. kicking off in August. Check out the clip.
Tour dates:
07.23 Oklahoma City, OK: Energy Arena (Rock For Oklahoma)
0.09 Bergen, NO: Brann Stadion
08.11 Skandeborg, DK: Smukfest
0.814 Belfast, NI: Tennent's Festival
08.15 Glasgow, UK: Bellahouston Park
08.17 Stafford, UK: V Festival
08.18 Clemsford, UK: V Festival
09.11 London, UK: iPod Festival
09.28 New York, NY, Central Park
10.05 Austin, TX: Austin City Limits Festival
10.13 Austin, TX: Austin City Limits Festival
10.28 Las Vegas, NV: Life Is Beautiful