Liam Gallagher on why Kings of Leon sold out: “Gone for the bucks”
In certain genres, artists can get away with selling out. Pop music, for example, is founded on catering to widespread audiences. Charli XCX based an entire album roll-out around the idea a couple of years back, winning over audiences by simultaneously complying with and commenting on the act of selling out. But in guitar music, bands who seem to be moulding their sound to mass appeal are usually met with swift and strong disapproval. Sometimes, that disapproval may even spawn from the rock ‘n’ roll star himself, Liam Gallagher.
As the lead singer of Britpop outfit Oasis, Gallagher has established himself as one of the most recognisable voices in guitar music through his drawn-out, football chant-style vocals. He has also established himself as one of the most outspoken figures in the rock realm, extending his laddy attitude beyond lyricism into Twitter rants and interviews.
Along the way, many artists have been subjected to Gallagher’s wrath, including Tennessee-born rockers Kings of Leon. Amidst the indie rock boom of the 2000s, Kings of Leon rose to global prominence with blistering tunes like ‘Sex on Fire’ and ‘Use Somebody’, utilising Caleb Followill’s grungey vocals through huge choruses.
Kings of Leon initially had Gallagher on-side — the former Oasis star told Rolling Stone in 2008 that he liked the band, particularly Followill’s vocals. “I like the old stuff,” he declared, “But I like his voice, you can always tell his voice when it comes on.” But despite Gallagher’s admiration for Followill’s powerful vocals, he admitted that he didn’t like the direction the band were taking at the time.
“I don’t know about this fucking new record,” he stated, suggesting that it seemed like the band had “gone for the bucks”.
“I’m not dissing them because I fucking really like them,” he continued, “But it’s like they’ve got this U2 sound and you can do better than that.” The record Gallagher seems to be referring to is 2008’s Only by the Night, which had been released two months before and produced some of the band’s signature hits.
The release of the album was preceded by the release of the lead single ‘Sex on Fire’, which has since become Kings of Leon’s most well-loved and well-known tune. Only by the Night also featured ‘Use Somebody’ and ‘Closer’, huge pop-rock tunes that are immediately singalong-worthy. It’s easy to see why Gallagher would accuse them of selling out on this record in particular.
Before the release of Only by the Night, Kings of Leon had experimented with the garage rock stylings that re-emerged in the 2000s and even pulled in elements of post-punk and prog. But on their 2008 record, they seemed to have committed entirely to straightforward, anthemic rock tracks that would win over audiences in their masses.
This direction certainly worked for the band in terms of commercial success, as ‘Sex on Fire’ took over radios worldwide and Only by the Night became their best-selling record, but fans who were interested in their more alternative rock sound were turned away by the record. This included Gallagher, who saw their changing sound as a cash grab rather than an artistic choice.
Despite Gallagher’s criticism and the other fans who may have been put off by Kings of Leon’s more pop-rock sound, Only by the Night remains their most iconic release over 15 years on.
