NME Festival Guide 2008
Glastonbury

Kings Of Leon find their niche in LA

Kings Of Leon                                                                                   Pic: Anouley Tsai

Kings Of Leon Pic: Anouley Tsai

BRMC, Manchester Orchestra warm up the crowd

The enthusiastic crowd at Kings Of Leon's show at the Los Angeles Greek Theatre on Friday (September 7) took frontman Caleb Followill by surprise.

"You guys don't sound like an LA crowd. You guys are great," he said, astounded at their cheers and thunderous applause for nearly every song.

The Followill boys ran through a tight, 75-minute set that included several songs from their new album including 'Knocked Up' and 'Arizona' as well as old favourites like 'California Waiting' and 'Molly's Chambers'.

"You know I've always wanted to play here," a clean-shaven Caleb confessed to the crowd. "It's beautiful here," he said, admiring the outdoor amphitheatre's tree-lined ridge and view of the starry skies.

Earlier in the evening, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (BRMC) warmed up the crowd with a set that started out strong but flatlined toward the end.

Dressed in their traditional all-black, the trio drew heavily from their latest album 'Baby 81', playing 'Took Out A Loan' and '666 Conducer' as well as blues-country tinged songs from 2005's 'Howl'.

Newcomers Manchester Orchestra kicked off the night with a strong set that seemed to take the sparse early audience by surprise. "You guys fucking rock!" shouted an excited new fan.

--By our Los Angeles staff.
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