Kings of Leon, the fabled Tennessee band made up of three brothers (Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill) and their cousin Matthew, has enjoyed the kind of slow rise to stardom that very few rock 'n' roll acts enjoy today.
While the quartet has played to arena-sized audiences in Europe for years, mass popularity had always eluded it here in the States—at least until now. Its latest album, Only by the Night, packs a one-two punch of arena-ready arrangements and production, and catchy, straightforward songs. More important, the midtempo "Use Somebody," with its soaring vocals and melodies, is the kind of accessible single Kings of Leon needed to push it into American popular consciousness. But even as a whole, Night stands up to any of the band's earlier works, and in some ways—Caleb's vocal performance, the tightness of Jared and Nathan's rhythm section punch—transcends it.
Dramatic, London-based dance rock outfit White Lies opens.
