Kings Of Leon, Genting Arena, Birmingham - review

In the years leading up to the release of 2013's Mechanical Bull, the band came close to splitting, the never-ending ego clash that comes with being a hugely successful band of brothers taking its toll on singer Caleb Followill.

Luckily for the thousands inside Birmingham's Genting Arena on Monday evening, Caleb, Nathan, Jared and Matthew have patched things up and certainly appeared to be enjoying being in each others company at the second night of their latest UK tour.

In truth, the band had been on a downward spiral since around 2009, when the over-whelming success of fourth album Only By The Night, in particularly the singles Use Somebody and Sex on Fire, catapulted them to a level of success that would terrify anybody.

As someone who had been a die-hard fan of the band up until that point, it was then that they and I parted ways.

I felt that it wasn't just their personal relationships that were deteriorating, but also their music.

Monday proved to be a much needed night of reconciliation with a band that for all their faults have outlasted the majority of their contemporaries.

Things got Underway with The End, an underwhelming cut from 2010's Come Around Sundown, followed by the classic Slow Night, So Long, from second album, Aha Shake Heartbreak.

The old cuts, those two minute blasts of energy which made me fall in love with the band, sound much more solid these days, slowed down ever so slightly so the nuances can creep out.

It really does work and proves all of those who marked down Kings of Leon as a truly great rock band from the early days right, even if they did eventually skid off the track into sub-U2 stadium fodder territory.

The set list was a perfect mix of old and new, the material from Because of the Times and Only By Night bridging the gap perfectly and contributing heavily to the evening.

A clear highlight for me was Fans, a love song to the British supporters of the band who had their back early on, even before they found a place in the hearts of the American public.

Its catchy, bouncy melody and playful drum and bass guitar patterns fill the arena space perfectly and in no way seem like a watered down attempt to pander to the masses.

Another was Crawl, which let drummer Nathan showcase his incredible ability on the kit.

It has to be said that while Caleb's voice and stage presence obviously come close to stealing the show, it is still Nathan's unique beats and truly impressive harmonies which elevate the band to more than the sum of its parts.

That mix of personalities and talents has always been the bands strongest point and now that they appear to be back in love with playing music together, maybe those who dropped off the bandwagon along the way should consider jumping back on?

I am certainly glad I did.

By Jordan Harris