Day and Night Digital | Irish Independent » kings of leon

Win weekend camping tickets to Oxegen – week 2

Niall Byrne — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:40:39 +0000

Every week until Oxegen arrives (see counter to the right there for exact days), Day & Night have a pairs of weekend camping tickets to the festival that is bringing you such acts as Blur, Kings of Leon, The Killers, The Script, Bloc Party, Lily Allen, Nine Inch Nails, Crystal Castles and a gazillion more.

All you have to enter the competition is answer to the question below by finding it in current edition of Day & Night supplement in the Irish Independent today (June 12th with Chris Cornell on the cover).

What gig is reviewed in this week’s Day & Night?

HOW TO ENTER: Find the answer in the magazine, then turn to page 17 for details on how to enter by text and phone.

Kings of Leon on Jools Holland – What really happened

Niall Byrne — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:11:34 +0000

After our Kings of Leon covers post on Monday, this video has come to our attention. Everyone knows* that the band employ a bunch of musicians behind a screen off-stage to play the songs live because they are such incompetent musicians but when the band appeared on Jools Holland, he demanded they play themselves resulting in this abomination…

*This may not be strictly true..

Also….

Coldplay and Metallica get the same treatment.

Kings of Leon covers are EVERYWHERE

Niall Byrne — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:15:06 +0000

What’s going on? It seems everyone is trying to get a slice of the Nashville boys popularity by covering their songs lately. Here we chart the best and very worst of them:

1. Tina Cousins – Sex on Fire (9/10)

This is the most polarising version by far. It’s either genius or pap. We can’t decide so it gets a solid 9. Ooh listen to that drama.
Favourite moment: 0:48 – when the BEAT kicks in. Kings of Leon do Europop.

2. Lemar – Sex on Fire (Rating: 3/10)

Lemar’s been covering the song on his tour. A sexified if rather pointless version.
Favourite moment: 0:40 – The Jesus pose combined with the chorus to disguise the fact he can’t reach the notes.

3. Bat for Lashes – Use Somebody (Rating: 8/10)

Recorded at a Radio One session, Natasha Khan’s voice matches the sense of loneliness at the very least.
Favourite moment: 1:14 – Khan accentuates the “Ohh Ohhs” with a howl of loneliness.

4. Youtube user Bazzap187 – Use Somebody (Rating: 7/10)

Youtube covers are always either hit or miss (but mostly miss) but this one actually sounds pretty good.
Favourite moment: 1:28 – The reverb on the backing vocals. A nice touch.

5. Pixie Lott – Use Somebody (Rating: 7/10)

18 year old London girl of the moment shows off her vocal chords. She overdoes it a little bit, X-Factor style.
Favourite moment: 1:14 – Watch that mouth gesticulate like only good singer can.

6. Friendly Fires – Use Somebody (Rating: 7/10)

Indie disco-pop’s best band gives the song a bit of percussive flair.
Favourite moment: 2:22 – The drum and possibly theremin (??) freakout.

Winner: 7. Lykke Li – Knocked Up (Rating: 9/10)

The Swedish popstress slays them all with a little help from her producer’s new arrangement. Hands down winner.
Favourite moment: 0:46 – Adding Caleb’s original vocal as backing makes this a winning duet.

Band of Blogs: Lykke Li covers Kings of Leon, MGMT, Peter Gabriel covers Vampire Weekend

Niall Byrne — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:48:32 +0000

The best songs on the web this week..

Lykke Li covers Kings of Leon
The Swedish popstress takes on the Nashville rockers’ tale of a condemned pregnancy and creates a bit of magic with KOL’s Caleb Followill on backing vocals. [MP3]
Aeroplane remix MGMT
Nearly a year on and MGMT are still doing the business. This remix of ‘Electric Feel’ is another master-stroke from Belgium’s Aeroplane after their reworking of Grace Jones and Friendly Fires.[MP3]
Peter Gabriel covers Vampire Weekend
Not content with being namechecked in the song ‘Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa’, Gabriel repays the compliment by getting together with Hot Chip to record his own version. [Illegal Tender]
The Rub’s Best of 2008
Give it up one last time for 2008. A two hour mix of the best hip-hop and R&B tunes of last year as put together by the same guys who made those exhaustively brilliant hip-hop mixes. [The Rub]