Kings of Leon play an unforgettable show in Bristol’s Ashton Gate
The band returned to Bristol for the first time in 20 years.
Photo: Ashton Gate Stadium
Ashton Gate, the home of Bristol City Football Club and Bristol Bears played host to one of the finest rock ‘n’ roll bands to come out of Tennessee, America: Kings of Leon.
After announcing six UK tour dates promoting their latest release Can We Please Have Fun, the band are back in Bristol after 20 years of absence in a city they seem rather fond of. The Followill brothers’ set left fans wanting more after playing a selection of their back catalogue anthems along with new ones from their latest album.
British singer-songwriter Holly Humberstone opened up the stadium with her dreamy synth-pop Lorde-esque tracks that created a beautiful backdrop for the sun soaked Sunday evening. After fronting a few of the festival bills this year, Holly kept the crowd fully engaged and seemed a perfect fit before West London indie veterans The Vaccines took to the stage.
With his Morrissey style flowers round the mic, frontman Justin Young warmed up the crowd nicely by his sheer engagement and enthusiasm. Hot air balloons were seen dotted across the sky all whilst The Vaccines were in full flow, creating quite the picturesque setting. They also announced that they have just released their sixth studio album titled Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations — one in which they are “super proud” of. The band finished their set with All My Friends Are Falling In Love, which promptly got the crowd throwing their arms around one another and proudly singing back.
Ballerina Radio — the first single off Kings of Leon’s new album — opened their headline set with a welcome applause from the eagerly up for it audience. The setlist had the perfect balance of new and classics, keeping everyone captured throughout the entirety of the show. This is a band who continually evolve with their music (now spanning over two decades), just looking around the audience reflected this with the wide range of ages all coming together to enjoy different elements of their music.
Jared and Caleb Followill shared some touching collaborative moments during The Bucket, which radiated to the crowd who were in awe of not just the high standard of music but the tight relationship all the band members have. The visuals throughout this set alongside the sun setting in the distance made for a night that is now firmly imprinted in my memories. They turned it up a few gears seven songs in with My Party: a raucous, energy lifting anthem which flowed nicely into Sex on Fire, the one song that got every age in that stadium chanting back.
For a band as big as they are, there was no ego, just pure craftmanship from start to finish. The visuals, as amazing as they looked, could have not been there because the band had every single person in the palm of their hands with their pure, infectious talent. Caleb mentioned having not been in Bristol since 2003 and praised the South West crowd for always making them feel like family by welcoming them with “open arms”. This honest exchange of Caleb’s positive feelings towards the city was felt across each song, making the set seem even more special.
Molly’s Chambers and Milk — both from their 2003 and 2004 albums — were met with sheer nostalgia from all of us that remember their heady, gritty rock ‘n’ roll days. Closer — taken from Only by the Night — created quite the romantic atmosphere as the sun had now set and the sky was awash with everyone’s torches.
After an encore, the band reappeared and finished off with three more: Rainbow Ball, Waste A Moment and Use Somebody which, of course, had everyone swaying to every line. The band really do show no signs of slowing down and, if anything, are only just getting started; their evolution is a sight to behold with their rawness still being the driving force behind their sets. It felt like a full circle moment for the band after not being in the city for over 20 years, everyone in that stadium felt connected and that alone just made the whole experience that little bit sweeter.
