It goes without saying that there has been no band who has even come close in matching the success Kings of Leon has seen in Australia this past year. And all it took was one song.
In January of last year, still riding the wave of “ONLY BY THE NIGHT”, the Kings of Leon were last seen in Sydney hitting the stage of the Hordern Pavillion. Despite the success of the album, they were barely able to sell out the Hordern twice. Now at the time, it seemed like a huge accomplishment for the band. The teeny-boppers were getting into them (comparing them at the concert, to my shock and dismay, to Justin Timberlake… naturally ignoring a song like “Milk” in the process). The radio stations were plugging them like never before – at long last they had become a “big band”.
But then, a few months later, a little song called “Sex on Fire” hit the radio, and before you knew it, be it JJJ, Nova, Triple M, or whatever station your Mum listens to… they were there, the song ultimately being crowned with the Number 1 spot on the JJJ Hottest 100. And the hits just kept on coming – “Use Somebody” being the most noteworthy. Along with “Sex on Fire”, it became a huge hit on the dance scene thanks to a barrage of remixes. And what all this meant was that this “big band” was now a HUGE band, justified by the fact that they sold an amount of tickets, equivalent to AT LEAST 7 or 8 Hordern Pavilions. The majority of which disappeared out the door in seconds.
The 14 year olds love them, their parents love them, the ravers love them. I can’t think of another band that has been able to attack so many different markets thanks to just one or two songs.
Now as someone who has listened to the band since the Aha Shake Heartbreak days, seeing their phenomenal rise to the top has been a great experience. Like many, I remember standing in front of the stage at Big Day Out, surrounded by many going “Who?” (I’d like to point out, however, that “The Bucket” came 4th of the Hottest 100 that year… so there was definitely a local following). But now, you’re surrounded by 15,000 people singing along (well, if it’s Sex on Fire anyway).
The success is obviously a positive notion for the band – they’re now rolling in it. But while they have seemingly become better at writing “hit songs”, there really hasn’t been any improvement in their stage shows, or even their musical skills. It would be hard to call this band a group of “showmen”. They come on stage, play their songs just like they were on the album, say a few words here and there, and then it’s home/drink time. Now this might be perfect in a venue like the Enmore or the Metro… but at Acer Arena… it’s just too big of a venue for that type of act. It simply doesn’t fill it up.
But despite this, I have to say it was a very entertaining set. The crowd were who made the songs during the hits… the roar of the sing-along during “Sex of Fire” and “Use Somebody” reverberated off every wall in the arena, creating something of a beautiful cacophony. It would definitely be an experience that one would have to describe as “cool”. Meanwhile, with the majority of the set thankfully leaning towards older material, here much of the crowd sat reasonably silent and listened, giving those who knew the songs a chance to soak it all up. I just feel bad for the people who tried to do that all the way up the back… I doubt they would have been able to enjoy it nearly as much.
But this in mind, I had a lot of respect for them on the night for launching into as much older material as they did – as while it CERTAINLY isn’t arena rock material, it easily remains their best work. Although I seem to have to make this complaint every time I see them – where was “Holy Roller Novocaine”? Still flabbergasts me as to why they never seem to play it….
All in all, a fun show from a band whose success has come hard and fast… but they’re definitely meant for the smaller stage.
