Kings Of Leon/Manchester Orchestra - Manchester Central - 09/12/07 by Matt Cox

With a third successful album under their belt and previous sold-out gigs at Manchester Apollo, Kings of Leon made their way to Manchester once more bringing the city's name-sake with them, in the way of the Manchester Orchestra, who were the only support to take to the stage.

For those that are not familiar with the support act, you'd be forgiven for mistaken identity, with Manchester Orchestra not fulfilling the standard definition of an orchestra - or for being from Manchester (in the UK, at least). Signed to Favourite Gentlemen Recordings and sporting a Atlanta, Georgia indie-rock flair, the five-piece took to the stage in-front of a increasingly crowded Manchester G-MEX hall.

With no introduction to identity and an over-zealous Chris Freeman on keyboard, Manchester Orchestra set off their torrent of indie-rock to a receptive crowd. With fellow gig-goers highlighting a hint of Bloc Party in their sound and a dash of Placebo in the vocals, each of which complemented the music, the instrumental segments of each track carried a passion for music that is recognised from bands such as Explosions in the Sky.

But whilst all this was pleasant enough and the music in no-way offencive to listen to, evidence of a generic sounding band seemed to be present by the end of the set - the notion that you've been listening to the same song for their entire performance seemed feasible. Granted, what Manchester Orchestra do, they do well - and with noteworthy passion - but with little variation between tracks I was left unconvinced that they would be a worthwhile addition to my music collection.

After Manchester Orchestra departed the stage and a short interval, the lights faded once more, announcing the start of Kings of Leon who appeared dead-on 9pm, facing the sold out and jam-packed G-MEX hall.

Based in Tennessee, Kings of Leon have a unique sound that is instantly identifiable through their Southern American Rock and Blues influences mixed with the harsh but effective vocals of Caleb Followill - one of the three brothers in this four-piece family band (with the remaining forth member, cousin Matthew Followill, on lead guitar). With two previous album releases in 2003 and 2004 respectively, KoL have built up a mass-following encouraged by their most successful release to date - their difficult third album 'Because of the Times' which topped the charts in 2007 across UK and Ireland.

Taking the stage and bursting into action, KoL's set list comprised mostly of tracks from their latest album 'Because of the Times' but they also a performed a great selection of tracks from all three albums with 'Molly's Chambers' and 'Spiral Staircase' (taken from the debut album Youth & Young Manhood, 2003) being well received and also sounding slightly different - more in keeping with the matured sound of later releases.

With a bigger catalogue of material, the band had an impressive set list and were able to perform a more lengthy show, with previous Manchester outing lasting just 45 minutes. For many of the crowd the recent single 'On Call' proved popular and caused a great reaction, as did the slower songs of the album which were accompanied by dim lights and disco balls tastefully lighting the G-MEX hall.

After thanking the crowd for the support received over the years and sharing a drink of whisky among those on-stage, KoL departed the stage keeping their reputation of being one of the better bands of present day intact, only to return a few minutes later for their encore - featuring fan-favourites 'Knocked Up' and 'Charmer'.

Without doubt Kings of Leon have produced some of the finest recorded material over the past five years and to see them live is to witness this talent shine through and an experience you're not likely to forget anytime soon.