Kings of Leon's Disastrous 2009 Reading Festival Appearance and the Aftermath that followed in their subsequent years.

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In 2009 Kings of Leon were virtually inescapable. The group’s fourth album Only By The Night established the Nashville four piece as a household name. But to their longtime fans, the band had sold out and left behind their southern rock sound. Kings of Leon fourth album and the success that came along with it, soon revealed cracks in the band that showed up during their live performances and those problems would follow them well into their fifth album.

The history of Kings of Leon begins with the three Followill brothers -
- Caleb (guitar), Nathan (drums), and Jared (bass) The brothers would grow up in a religious household with a father who was an evangelist who travelled across America preaching at Pentecostal churches and tent revivals. It would be kind of funny that his father, before becoming a minister was an avid fan of groups like Led Zeppelin, Bad Company and Thin Lizzy. But by the time he had his sons, he found God and was now listening to oldies, which was really the only music his kids were allowed to listen to ‘The Ronnettes and The Beach Boys). But it would be Jared who’d recall to New Musical Express it was when he heard Pixies record Surfer Rosa from a friend in Spanish class that it had a profound impact on him.

Inspired by a stranger’s story about how he made $500 bucks writing what he described as country songs, Caleb and Nathan who were already contemplating becoming musicians and this gave me the nudge they needed.. They thought, hey we can do the same. Their parents would divorce in 1997 and by 1999 the Caleb and Nathan would move to Nashville. They would meet a big time manager Ken Levitan whose clients included Lynyrd Kynyrd and Emmy Lou Harris.. Soon enough the brothers were in New York being courted by major record labels & They would sign with RCA, signed by the same A&R man that signed the Strokes. Caleb and Nathan were soon sent back to Nashville with a record deal and told to assemble a band. They soon added younger brother Jared to play bass in the band. It was now 2001 and soon enough their first cousin cousin matthew who was also a guitarist would join them rounding out their lineup. Soon enough they were living a hard partying lifestyle their father preached against.


Kings of Leon’s initial sound was more southern rock.. Between 2003 and 2007 the band would release three albums that soon established Kings of Leon as a cult band with their third record Because of the Times being the bridge between their southern rock sound and where they were headed. . Despite being from America, the first country to really embrace them was the UK. Their third album would top the UK Charts with Caleb telling BBC6 at the time "We're just making music for ourselves and luckily people are with us. Especially you guys,". "You guys (the British public) have always been with us and the fact that we've made a record that's a little different and a little riskier, and it got to number one here, that's the best thing. We feel like it's going to be bigger everywhere else than the others have, so as long as you guys stick with us and keep us afloat, we'll be happy." The band soon ditched their retro looks taking on a more polished appearance.

The band would talk to Rolling Stone in 2013 and discuss how they felt fake during their early years together with guitarist Matthew telling Rolling stone . “We used to grow our hair out really long, wear tight clothes – we were being kind of fake back then,” with Jared adding about their newly polished look. “Now we’re just normal and comfortable with ourselve“God, I hate it. And I can barely listen to our first and second records. It’s very cringe-worthy for me. To me, Because of the Times is like our first record. We were finally being ourselves.”

The following year the band would release their breakout record 2008’s Only By The Night which would make the group a household name thanks to the inescapable hits Sex on Fire and use Somebody. Kings of Leon were soon criticized by fellow musicians with Jim James of My Morning Jacket commenting on the band’s new success “I don’t want to write about my sex parts being on fire just to