Live: Kings Of Leon @ BST Hyde Park

by | Jul 8, 2017

Kings Of Leon performing on the Summer Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

Kings Of Leon performing on the Great Oak Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

You learn something every day. Today I learned that carrying a step ladder and camera rucksack on the London underground in the rush hour when it’s thirty degrees outside is something to be avoided at all costs. I had the rucksack because I was en route to photograph Nashville rootsy garage four-piece turned anthemic stadium rock band Kings Of Leon. I had the step ladder because I’d heard rumours that the stage at BST Hyde Park was higher than Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. Sadly, the rumours turned out to be true.

Kings Of Leon performing on the Summer Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

Caleb Followill of Kings Of Leon performing on the Great Oak Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

At around eight-thirty, the Followhill brothers and cousin emerged from behind the most extravagant velvet curtains I’ve ever seen to wild applause from a full-house wedged into the ancient park. Kings Of Leon conveniently stood at the back of the stage and from three steps up, I could see nothing below the knee. The front row would have struggled to see them at all. I felt for them. Opening with Over from the latest album WALLS the band then raided the archive with Slow Night, So Long and King Of The Rodeo from 2004’s Aha Shake Heartbreak. After three songs from the pit, I climbed down from the ladder and waded into the ‘Golden Circle’.

Atmosphere at BST Hyde Park 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

Atmosphere at BST Hyde Park 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

I really don’t like the principle of a segregated festival crowd. I cannot deny that I was lucky to be able to benefit – my media pass gave me access and made photography a doddle – but there is something fundamentally wrong when the back of the Golden Circle (in the main gassing and taking selfies) force the front of General Admission (in the main totally absorbed and singing their hearts out) to be wedged uncomfortably against a barrier around a hundred yards from the stage. Live music is supposed to be a collective experience and this wasn’t.

Kings Of Leon performing on the Summer Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

Matthew Followill of Kings Of Leon performing on the Great Oak Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

By the time I found my spot in the crowd, the curtain had reappeared and a trippy acoustic section was underway from just in front of it. Caleb Followill was standing in isolation performing WALLS, a song that was allowed to build and build and which reached a climax when the curtain again began to rise to reveal a far more expansive set behind him. This time it included a pair of touring musicians tucked at the back who I’m guessing to this point had been having a fun little gig on their own.

Kings Of Leon performing on the Summer Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

Kings Of Leon performing on the Great Oak Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

For the first time the light show was starting to win the battle with nature and it was nearly as impressive. Find Me followed, a song with an infectious guitar riff that appeared on Radio X amongst others about every fifteen minutes when it sat atop the playlist. The crowd knew it and let the band know they knew it.

Kings Of Leon performing on the Summer Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

Caleb Followill of Kings Of Leon performing at BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

But there was a problem. Whilst the staging and sound were excellent and the thousands in the park yelling the words did their best to lift the occasion; only the most ardent, blinkered of fans could have failed to spot that something was amiss. Kings Of Leon looked for all the world like they’d rather be someplace else. Their internal antipathy is well known, and in two hours on stage the band barely acknowledged each other. That was disappointing if not entirely unexpected but spokesman Caleb barely acknowledged the audience either. “We’re having a lot of fun up here. You guys are f*cking amazing”, he said in ironic monotone after about an hour. Only one of those statements appeared to be true and it wasn’t the former. The frontman looked like he was being force fed witchetty grubs between songs. No mate, you only have to do that when you’re no longer famous and if 55,000 people hanging on your every word isn’t enough to stir you, perhaps that time should be coming sooner rather than later. In one of his only other interactions, Caleb commended Pixies who had earlier played a fine support slot under the raging sun. “I hope you realise what you just got to see”. Yep, it was a band who looked like they were pleased to be here.

Kings Of Leon performing on the Summer Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

Kings Of Leon performing on the Great Oak Stage, BST Hyde Park, 6th July 2017 (Simon Reed)

The evening closed out with Supersoaker, Sex On Fire and Waste A Moment; a trio of tunes so flamboyant they could stir the dead. I made my way to Green Park tube; cameras on back, stepladders under arm. The words to Sex On Fire were echoing down Piccadilly and the people had smiles on their faces. If only the performers could have had the same.

Review & Photography by Simon Reed. Kings Of Leon at BST Hyde Park on 6th July 2017.

Simon has his own music photography site here: http://www.musicalpictures.co.uk

 

Amplify Andrea! In conversation with Amplify Her’s Andrea Dee

Despite the fact it’s 2025, female artists are notoriously under-represented in most mainstream music scenes. It’s...
Mae Stephens (Press)

Mae Stephens Celebrates Female Empowerment With New Single Woah Man!

Mae Stephens landed a breakthrough smash hit with If We Ever Broke Up. Reaching #13 in the UK during a ten-week Top 20 run, it became a huge airplay hit, was certified Gold in both the UK and US, and fired to #1 on key charts in Japan and China. Now the British artist is primed for a second major international hit as she unveils her new single Woah Man!.

Tide Lines (Press)

Tide Lines Share New Single ‘Better Days’

Tide Lines are making a bigger impact than ever before as they build towards the release of their highly anticipated...
Ada Morghe (Press)

Ada Morghe Shares New Single ‘Passion Play’ Alongside UK Tour News

Pure Good Vibes? That’s exactly what Ada Morghe delivered when she teamed up with reggae icon Maxi Priest for the lead single from her upcoming album of the same name. The record sees the highly accomplished soul/jazz artist add another string to her bow as she explores the rich musical culture of Jamaica. She now continues that adventure with her latest single Passion Play and announces that she will special guest to Billy Ocean on his UK tour which kicks off in June.

The Blue Stones (Nick Fancher)

The Blue Stones Release New LP ‘Metro’ Alongside Single ‘Happy Cry’

Canadian rock duo The Blue Stones have released their eagerly anticipated fourth album, Metro, via Thirty Tigers, alongside leading single Happy Cry. You settle into the worn seat of a subway car barely holding together, graffiti scrawled across its walls beneath flickering ads for bionic enhancements and synthetic upgrades. A mechanical voice crackles through the loudspeaker: “The next stop is… your tiny, stupid little worthless life.”

An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile @ The Palladium (Ben Gibson)

Elton John & Brandi Carlile Celebrate Forthcoming LP ‘Who Believes In Angels?’ With London Palladium Show

Last night (Wednesday 26th March), lucky ticketholders at An Evening With Elton John And Brandi Carlile were treated...
En Vogue @ Mighty Hoopla 2024 (Kalpesh Patel)

Glastonbury Festival Announces West Holts Line-Up For 2025

Glastonbury Festival has today unveiled the lineup for the West Holts Stage at for this year’s edition, scheduled from June 25 to 29 at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Known for its eclectic mix of genres, the West Holts Stage will feature an array of artists spanning hip-hop, electronic, jazz, and more.​ The former Jazz World Stage was renamed in 2010 as is the spiritual home of world music at the Somerset festival.

Uwade (Shervin Lainez)

Uwade Shares New Single ‘Harmattan’

Nigerian-born, North Carolina-raised musician Uwade will release her long-awaited debut album Florilegium next month via Thirty Tigers, and shared another preview of the forthcoming album with Harmattan. Uwade grew up steeped in the sounds of hymnal choral music and Nigerian Highlife on her late-father’s car radio.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing