Kings of Leon

[SeverineLeClaire]

Kind of out of the blue, but does anybody know Alisa's birthday?

 

[Psylocke]

Pigeon-Gate is everywhere!
I can't believe this is getting so much media attention, it's quite funny.

Here's one of the better articles talking about how gross this whole thing must have been.

The Stills offer their side of Kings of Leon pigeon-gate

Montreal indie rockers, who opened last week's ill-fated concert, speak out after headliners Kings of Leon were chased off stage by incontinent pigeons

The Stills, one of the opening bands from last week's ill-fated, excrement-caked Kings of Leon concert, have gone public in a war against pigeons and the arenas that house them. "The venue ****ed up big time," according to bassist Oliver Crowe. "It was really ****ty."

According to Crowe, pigeons are a blight on touring bands and large venues, a hidden menace lurking in the rafters. Many arenas apparently have special teams and equipment dedicated to the cooing pests. "At the [First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre] in Chicago ... they take high-powered hoses [to clear the birds]," Crowe said. "Other venues call in a hawk guy to chase them away. If you run a venue and there's that much money at stake, you should really do that – it's not that expensive."

Crowe described the concert to Toronto's Eye magazine, presenting what it dubbed a "plop-by-plop account" of the avian air raid. "During our second song ... I felt something like an air conditioner drop, or like little droplets of water spray on my face," he recalled. "The carpet onstage was black, and I noticed 10 to 13 brown spots on it and I started worrying – but I figured, if a bird had ****, it won't happen again, so I'm fine."

"About two to three songs later, I bent over to do, like, a shoegazer move, and I felt something very substantial on the back of my head and down my back and, for the rest of the show I was extremely paranoid and constantly looking up. I couldn't stand in front of my monitors or in front of my bass cab. It was also 100 degrees, so I couldn't take advantage of the stage fans." "

Crowe said he warned Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill about the rooftop critics, but "because of how [their] stage is built, you couldn't move Jared over: there's too many things – like metal grids and pyro. He had to just stand there." Followill fled the stage after pigeon-do landed in his mouth. "We played 45 minutes and the Kings played three songs, so we've dubbed [their concert] the best Stills encore ever," Crowe said. "Thank God the **** didn't hit the fans."

* guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010

and another one from NME:

Pigeon-Gate – Why Kings Of Leon Were Right To Abandon Their Gig
By Daniel Balk
Posted on 07/27/10 at 11:41:22 am


Kings Of Leon abandoned a gig at the weekend (July 23) after being beset by pigeon droppings. Here, Daniel Balk of support band The Postelles defends the band’s actions

The first clue we had that something was not quite right was when we were sound-checking. Our drummer Billy was setting up his drums, and a baby bird fell out of the rafters and died. That kind of thing doesn’t usually happen. It freaked us out.

Then when we went on, the scale of the problem became obvious. Pigeons were ****ting everywhere. Our bass player John had to clean his amp because it got totally smashed with this stuff. He spent the whole gig ducking, trying to get out of the way of the droppings. Fortunately he’s quick on his toes.

Footage of the incident. You can see Caleb wipe his face at the end

continued...

The problem was made even worse by the heat – it was 110 degrees out there, so you can imagine how unpleasant it was.

After we played we went out to the mixing desk, in amongst the crowd, to watch Kings Of Leon – but at that point the birds just started going even more crazy. After three songs the band quit the stage and 15,000 people were left wondering what was going on. It was a little scary, to be honest. There was a lot of anger.

But I can totally understand why the band did what they did. You simply could not play in those conditions. And it’s potentially dangerous: you get bird **** in your mouth, you’re gonna need medical attention.

This is not something Kings Of Leon would have done lightly. They’re great guys, very humble, and I’m sure they’ll come back and repay their fans. They’re an amazing rock and roll band. They just didn’t want to get hurt.

As for us, we’re just happy to be a part of this strange little footnote in rock history. It’s pretty amazing how much attention this story has got. It’s pretty hilarious I guess, and certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I hope so, anyway.

NME.COM blogs contain the opinions of the individual writer and not necessarily those of NME magazine or NME.COM.

 

[SeverineLeClaire]

At the First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre.

chicagonow.com

 

[Jennyfer]

Wow Matt's hair is so curly! Love Jared's shirt

Thanks for posting

 

[Jenna-maria]

How are they live?
I did hear that they are good but that Caleb can be little...arrogant.
Any true??

Matt´s hair <3

 

[eli marie]

^I wouldn't say arrogant. if anything, a little shy...they're not known for being overly interactive with the audience.

(but, amazing live)

 

[Psylocke]

^I was going to say to exact same thing (and then we had a blackout and my computer shut down )

My friend didn't enjoy them live because he normally goes to punk gigs and such where the bands totally connect with the audience, so he thought KOL were very boring.
I actually much prefer when there isn't a lot of talking and holla at me/how ya feelin' today/give me some noise type of ****, I always find that so embarassing. So KOL shows are just perfect for me because it's all about the music. And they're absolutely awesome live.
Plus, I was lucky that Caleb was in a good mood both times I saw them live. I can imagine it's not that much fun to see a KOL show where Caleb's pissed off (and Matt and Jared aren't into it either).

 

[SeverineLeClaire]

Nate, Caleb, Lily and Jared played soccer a few days ago with Toronto FC. Go to www.peterwjmiller.com and check out pictrues of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfVJTuKMric&feature=player_embedded Video from around Sept. - Oct. 08 I think. Jared making a setlist for The Stills, Nate and Caleb is there too.

 

[Psylocke]

CONFIRMED: Kings of Leon Album Title, Release Date

By William Goodman on August 4, 2010 9:30 AM (4) Comments

It's official: Kings of Leon will release their fifth studio album, titled Come Around Sundown, on October 19, a band spokesperson confirms exclusively to SPIN.com.

The record, the follow-up to their blockbuster 2008 release Only by the Night, will feature 13 songs, which the band recorded with producer Jacquire King (Norah Jones, Be Your Own Pet) and longtime mentor-collaborator Angelo Petraglia in New York City. The sessions found frontman Caleb Followill and Co. stepping outside their traditional guitar-bass-drums arrangements, adding fiddle, trumpet, and lap steel to select tracks.

Kings of Leon -- named SPIN's 2009 Artist of the Year -- have been performing some of the new tracks live on tour all summer, including songs with working titles like "The Immortals," "Mary," "Going Back Down South," and "Radioactive."

SPIN's Charles Aaron said the band's headlining gig at Bonnaroo: The set's "real highlight was a clutch of new, as-yet-untitled songs that boasted a rootsier, possibly even more ambitious aesthetic -- one had a vaguely doo-wop vocal and a stomping Chuck Berry-ish guitar solo; another recalled a '70s country-rock road song that sounded like it could've been written for Trace Adkins or Dierks Bentley."

Read SPIN's Complete Review of KOL's Bonnaroo Set.

Are you excited for Kings of Leon's return? Tell us in the comment section below.

source: spin.com
http://www.spin.com/articles/confirmed-kings-leon-album-title-release-date

Can't wait!!!!!

 

[luxie_dream]

New pics via just jared

source:justjared

 

[Psylocke]

Jared's so cute in this new interview

Kings of Leon: “It Was A Struggle Not To Sabotage The Band”
08-03-2010

Kings of Leon have been enjoying a pretty stellar run since the release of their last album, 2008’s Only By The Night. Apart from that whole “pigeons pooping on their heads and forcing them offstage” thing, the past two years have been nothing but thrills: Platinum sales, three Grammy Awards and a non-stop touring schedule that has seen them play for something like a quarter of the earth’s population.
But in this exclusive ShockHound interview — conducted before the recent pigeon incident in St. Louis — Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill tells us that it all can still be a bit overwhelming for him and brothers, singer Caleb Followill and drummer Nathan Followill, and lead guitarist cousin Matthew Followill, who spent much of their pre-rock n’ roll youth traveling around the South in the back of their Pentecostal preacher father’s station wagon.
Currently out on the road playing several summer festivals (and hoping to avoid any further run-ins with feathered creatures) as sort of a victory lap for hits like “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody,” the group is also hard at work wrapping up production on its next album, Come Around Sundown, which is set to be released October 19.

SHOCKHOUND: Has this been the most insane year of your life, or what?

JARED FOLLOWILL: It's crazy. It still surprises us. Hearing the songs everywhere we go, seeing the crowds — it's weird. We're just now sinking in and getting used to it. Who knows? Maybe the next record might take all that away.

SHOCKHOUND: You’re not thinking of throwing it all away, are you?

FOLLOWILL: It’s a struggle, a little bit. I think Caleb feels the weirdest about it because he's out front every night. But deep down I'm sure he doesn't mind, because he gets reservations at any restaurant he wants. It was a struggle not to sabotage the band. The thing about the next album is we're not trying to make hits or not make hits. We're just trying to make music that we like — music that's good. I think it will cement us in a rock band category. I have no idea, though. I'm the worst person to gauge how an album is going to do. I thought the last record was going to be the biggest flop of my life and it didn't turn out that way, obviously.

SHOCKHOUND: You had no idea Only By The Night would go so big?

FOLLOWILL: Absolutely not. We were confident about the songs but we had been shot down so many times before. When we first came out, there was such a huge buzz. We thought we were going to blow up immediately and then it just didn't happen. It didn't happen with our first album. It didn't happen with our second album. It didn't happen with our third album. By the fourth album, we thought we had our place in music on the lower scale of things, which was fine by us. So who knows what will happen with this one? The scary thing is, we all like this record a lot.

SHOCKHOUND: Oh, it's totally doomed.

FOLLOWILL: We have strong songs. It has at least as many strong songs if not more than Only By The Night. On each album, we usually have a few songs that are quirky and fun that we use as b-sides. This one we have no b-sides. We put everything on the record. You're going to hear it all.

SHOCKHOUND: When did you even have time to make a record? It seems like you haven't had a day off in the past two years.

FOLLOWILL: To the normal person it would seem that, but we had the longest time off we had as a band. We didn't start writing until February. We had five months of absolutely nothing. We don't count making the record as work because it's so much fun. Touring is work, but even that has become laughable as work. We wrote most of it in March and April in Nashville. Then we recorded it in New York. You're in a dark little box and you can't go outside and get drunk like you used to, so we just ended up working really quickly. We tracked five songs in the first five days.

SHOCKHOUND: Has all the time together made the fights more intense, or do you guys barely notice each other anymore?

FOLLOWILL: The fights are always going to be over stupid **** with us. But they've gotten better. We're all a little older. A lot of the guys have girlfriends that tell them how ridiculous they're behaving. So now we're all just passive-aggressive and hold grudges against each other.

SHOCKHOUND: Now that you can afford more than one bus, do you even see each other much on the road when you’re not onstage?

FOLLOWILL: We hang out a lot more now than we did in the past. We're all cooler with each other now. Everybody's married and has girlfriends. It's all chilled out. We're working on an album and rehearsing the songs, so you have to be around each other.

SHOCKHOUND: You’re playing a couple of the new songs live. Do you care if most of it winds up on YouTube?

FOLLOWILL: We try not to play anything that might be a single live, because you want people to hear it for the first time on the radio, not some scratchy YouTube video from the crowd. But I do remember seeing a video of the Strokes before they released their second record like that, and I got so excited I wanted to throw a party.

SHOCKHOUND: What’s the best thing about becoming a headlining act at arenas and festivals?

FOLLOWILL: It's mainly like that Richard Pryor movie, The Toy. We get to do that now, but with bands. It's like, "I wonder if so and so will open for us?" They will. Built To Spill was my favorite band ever when I was 13. To have them open for us is insane. It's like "My Super Sweet 16." We get to stand on the side of the stage and drink and watch them every night. It's pretty amazing.

http://www.shockhound.com/features/...-_-WIS Wk 27 2010-_-Kings of Leon&PID=3747368


Apparently KOL played another new song during last night's gig. No good recordings of it on youtube yet though but I can't wait to hear it!

 

[Psylocke]

New song "Pick Up".

It's beautiful and Caleb's voice is just divine

 

[romantics]

Sooooooo good. I can't stand it. I want to hear studio versions of all of these songs right now!

 

[luxie_dream]

everytime i hear a preview song from there new album i get so excited i am beyond anxious for this new record to come out

 

[Jenna-maria]

SHOCKHOUND: Has all the time together made the fights more intense, or do you guys barely notice each other anymore?

FOLLOWILL: The fights are always going to be over stupid **** with us. But they've gotten better. We're all a little older. A lot of the guys have girlfriends that tell them how ridiculous they're behaving. So now we're all just passive-aggressive and hold grudges against each other.

awww
cannot wate to hear their new album.
I hope they would come to finland!!!

 

[luxie_dream]

kol live photos by greg waterman

source:gregwatermann

 

[luxie_dream]

samesource

 

[Jennyfer]

Pickup Truck is gorgeous. This album cannot come fast enough.

 

[Psylocke]

Pictures from last night's gig at the Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco







sfoutsidelands.com

 

[Psylocke]

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