Kings Of Leon have kicked off the inaugural State Fayre festival with a hits-packed headline set – watch footage below.
The Tennessee band topped the bill on the opening night of the new festival at Hylands Park in Chelmsford last night (June 26), following sets from The Black Crowes, Stephen Wilson Jr, Kingfishr and more.
State Fayre, which bills itself as the UK’s biggest music and barbecue festival, is taking place across the weekend and combines a rock, Americana and country-leaning line-up with American-inspired food, decor and fairground attractions.
With the festival opening during a record-breaking UK heatwave, and the smell of barbecue drifting across the site as the band took to the Main Stage, frontman Caleb Followill told the crowd “it feels like being home”.
Kings Of Leon opened with ‘Find Me’ before moving into fan favourites including ‘The Bucket’, ‘Fans’, ‘On Call’, ‘Use Somebody’, ‘Waste A Moment’, ‘Closer’, ‘Molly’s Chambers’, ‘Black Thumbnail’ and ‘Sex On Fire’.
Check out footage from the set here:
Kings Of Leon played:
‘Find Me’
‘The Bucket’
‘Fans’
‘On Call’
‘Revelry’
‘Manhattan’
‘Use Somebody’
‘Waste A Moment’
‘Wait For Me’
‘Split Screen’
‘The Immortals’
‘Supersoaker’
‘Closer’
‘Molly’s Chambers’
‘Razz’
‘My Party’
‘Birthday’
‘Back Down South’
‘Radioactive’
‘Pyro’
‘Knocked Up’
‘Black Thumbnail’
‘Sex On Fire’
The festival continues today (June 27) with a headline set from Alanis Morissette, who replaced Neil Young earlier this year after he cancelled his planned UK and European tour dates with The Chrome Hearts.
Skunk Anansie are also set to appear today, while The Lumineers will close the festival tomorrow (June 28). Other artists across the weekend include Elvis Costello & The Imposters with Charlie Sexton and Counting Crows.
Kings Of Leon, meanwhile, will continue their UK and Ireland dates next week, including shows in Belfast, Limerick, Glasgow, Manchester and Leeds. Find any remaining tickets here.
Kings Of Leon will play:
JUNE
29 – Belfast, Ormeau Park
JULY
1 – Limerick, Thomond Park
3 – Glasgow, Bellahouston Park
4 – Manchester, Co-op Live
6 – Leeds, First Direct Bank Arena
10 – Madrid, Mad Cool Festival
The band last released an album with ‘Can We Please Have Fun’ in 2024. In a three-star review, NME described the record as “easily KOL’s most promising, liberated record for over a decade”, while adding that it was “still surprisingly restrained in places”.
Speaking to NME around the album’s release, the band said they had rediscovered their sense of excitement while making the record.
“It was the most enjoyable record I’ve ever been a part of,” Caleb said, with drummer Nathan Followill adding: “It’s like we allowed ourselves to be musically vulnerable.”