Kings of Leon

Legend has it that the three Followill brothers from Tennessee (Nathan, Caleb and Jared) formed Kings of Leon (in the year 2000, with their cousin Matthew) after a strict and itinerant Pentecostal upbringing that left them gagging at the bit to unload torrents of down 'n' dirty rock 'n' roll on the world. And what a legend it has so far turned out to be — our two openers trace a magnificent arc from 2003's debut EP (featuring the swampy "Molly's Chambers") to the glorious howl of 2008's "Sex On Fire". We follow the magnificent Kings to their throne, through Next Steps.

Here we find out exactly why Kings of Leon avoided sinking into the dangerously addictive mire of Southern boogie revivalism stirred up by debut album Youth and Young Manhood — prepare to be stunned, as the adventurous changes of pace delivered by Aha Shake Heartbreak ("Slow Night, So Long" shakes, "Milk" breaks), give way to the prolonged disorientating darkness of "Knocked Up" — the opener from 2007's Because of the Times — and finally to the arena-worthy resplendence of "Crawl" from '08's Only By the Night.

Their story alone — three Southern gentlemen/scruffy brothers travel cross-country with their evangelist father, find God in the Rolling Stones, and form a rock band with their cousin — is tailor-made (if not, perhaps, 100-percent true) for stylised magazine spreads and pan-flashed hits. The catch is that the Followill clan's songwriting skills are sharper than a drawer full of butcher knives and more rock 'n' roll-all-night/party-every-day than most. Simply put, expect lots of wailing and sudden windstorms, as songs like "Wasted Time" kick up more dirt than a convoy of off-roaders at full throttle. The band is more than able to bring things down a notch when necessary, too, with tracks like the freewheelin' "Fans".