Daniel Vigilante
Sandra 1
Michael ItaliaLive music: Kings of Leon live @ Festival Hall, Melbourne
one word.
Underwhelming, is the other. To put it in a sentence, a rather introverted half-hearted performance, which didn’t quite live up to the hype. For a start, nothing prepared me for their refusal to engage with a devoted audience, their lack of communication, and the air of “fuck we’re cool” which permeated the entire show. Where was the energy? The presence? The charisma? Weren’t the Kings of Leon here to give us something back for our hard-earned cash? In short, they looked tired and over it. Perhaps their relentless touring schedule finally got the better of them. Whatever it was, the performance seemed to lack the energy and punch that a headline act of this stature should possess. Obviously not priding themselves on showmanship, all four Fellowill brothers were oblivious to their onstage presence, or lack there of. For the entire show drummer Nathan perfunctorily tapped his way through each song, chewed gum and blew bubbles while guitarist Matthew brazenly lit cigarettes and devoted more attention to his straightened hair than his onstage performance.
