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Kings Of Leon + The Features
@ Brighton Centre, Brighton, 30 June 2005
Tennessee has traditionally been renowned as being the home of country and western music, but recent developments have suggested that there's more than a fair share of rock 'n' roll in its southern soul - tonight's show at the Brighton Centre confirmed this very fact.

The two bands on the bill this evening have both raised the state's musical profile of late - Firstly Kings Of Leon with two well received albums, the latter of which propelled them head first into the mainstream, and more recently The Features, who have been garnering up a loyal following with their quirky, organ fuelled sounds, as well as an impressive debut album of their own earlier this year.

A fair crowd had already gathered by the time The Features arrived, so again the stage was set (they've been touring large venues with the Kings for the best part of a year) for them to win over some new fans with their raucous but hugely accessible slices of pop-rock.

From the outset, it was clear that they weren't going to disappoint - lead singer Matt Pelham was remarkably composed in front of the large audience, one minute politely introducing songs and the next snarling into the microphone like a Zeppelin era Robert Plant, filling up the sizeable room with surprising ease. Single Leave It All Behind and album title track Exhibit A were obvious highlights - both saw enthusiastic singing and guitar playing from Pelham, although their set as a whole couldn't be faulted. Expect them to be selling out shows on their own accord before too long.

Tonight's main attractions Kings Of Leon have become something of a household name here in Britain, thanks to their excellent second album Aha Shake Heartbreak causing quite a stir at the tail end of last year, something which has also ensured that their current tour of the UK's arenas was completely sold out at the time of writing - a notable achievement for a band with only two albums to their name.

The Followill clan appeared aloof and nonchalant as ever as they strolled on stage, but thankfully as soon as they picked up their instruments, it was clear that this was going to be a rollercoaster ride to remember. Taper Jean Girl got things going rather emphatically - grown men were jumping up and down uncontrollably, people were singing along and beer was being flung around with reckless abandon. There and then, it was clear that Kings Of Leon have made the vital transfer from indie obscurity to mainstream adulation.

For the rest of their 20 song set, they played like stadium rock veterans, like they belonged in venues like this - early singles such as Molly's Chambers and Wasted Time were dispatched with a remarkable enthusiasm and verve, and slower moments like The Bucket were delivered meticulously, not a note falling out of place. The sound was incredibly rich and crisp for an arena, meaning that most of the songs sounded like they were being played straight from CD - the crunching guitar riff of Four Kicks or the tantalising bass introduction to Holy Roller Novocaine being good examples.

They played for about one and half hours in all, showcasing almost all their recorded material, bar the rather curious omission of Red Morning Light. If this was to prove that they're more than just one hit wonders, however, it was a certainly a success - the fact that they could afford to omit arguably one of their best songs and get away with it is testament to their already impressive back catalogue and also their seemingly bottomless pit of self confidence. With another album of equal quality to the last two, there'll be no stopping them.

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related articles
INTERVIEW:
Kings Of Leon

ALBUM:
Kings Of Leon - Only By The Night

ALBUM:
Kings Of Leon - Because Of The Times

ALBUM:
Kings Of Leon - Aha Shake Heartbreak

GIG:
Kings Of Leon @ Hammersmith Apollo, London

GIG:
Kings Of Leon @ Brighton Centre, Brighton

TRACK:
Kings Of Leon - Use Somebody

TRACK:
Kings Of Leon - Crawl

TRACK:
Kings Of Leon - Kings of the Rodeo

TRACK:
Kings Of Leon - Four Kicks

TRACK:
Kings Of Leon - The Bucket

TRACK:
Kings Of Leon - Holy Roller Novacaine

ALBUM:
The Features - Exhibit A

GIG:
The Features @ Brighton Centre, Brighton

TRACK:
The Features - The Way It's Meant To Be

TRACK:
The Features - Blow It Out

TRACK:
The Features - Leave It All Behind

external
Kings Of Leon

The Features



  more live reviews...



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