Kings of Leon, Wild Nothing: Echo Arena, Liverpool

King’s of Leon

An electric atmosphere and an effortless performance, Getintothis’ Victoria Cambridge experiences Kings of Leon at the top of their game.

As the curtain rose at the Echo Arena to reveal the humble and familiar KOL initials taped to a drum kit, Kings of Leon took to the stage. The band are playing in Liverpool as part of the European leg of their tour, following the release of their latest album Walls.

The atmosphere inside the confines of the Echo was electric and as the band took to the stage, the crowd erupted into infectious cries of excitement. Although now undoubtedly one of the biggest rock bands in the world, it’s clear that Kings of Leon are just as modest as they were all those years ago.

They appeared to effortlessly perform classics to honour their older fans such as Slow Night So Long, McFearless, a beautiful acoustic version of The Runner and Milk, the latter of which provoked the biggest reaction of the night from the crowd (yes, even more than that song).

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Mixing their set up with newer releases such as WALLS and Find Me, their show ultimately revealed them for what they are; distinguished and talented musicians who, seven albums later, can still give a truly energetic and impassioned performance.

Whatever your thoughts on the ‘Will they/won’t they‘ crowd-teasing encores – the choice the band made to leave one out perhaps demonstrates that they’ have matured a lot since their younger years and no longer have any egos to fuel.

Two days after their headline gig at Leaf, Wild Nothing were an impressive support for Kings of Leon. The arena provided them with a great environment to perform hits such as Live in Dreams in a darker and more intense manner, despite some technical difficulties. As King of Leon front man Caleb Followill himself even noted during the show, if you aren’t listening to Wild Nothing’s music “What are you doing? You should be.”

Photos by Getintothis’ Keith Ainsworth