THERE ARE very good reasons why families shouldn’t be in bands together. Those reasons are The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, The Kinks and Oasis. All the siblings involved in the above four have either ended up in the law courts/on the ground in a fist brawl/or just simply detesting the very sight of each other.
While most bands do give it the “it’s us against the world/we’re brothers in rock” shtick, the truth is that outside of the studio or the stage they never see each other. The rock’n’roll life is ludicrous, maddening and physically and mentally dangerous enough without having a family dynamic thrown into the mix.
What is happening now with Kings of Leon (three brothers and a cousin in their line-up) was predicted years ago. While there have been murmurings about a “lack of cohesion” for a good while, it all got opened up to the public at a show in Dallas last week.
Midway through, singer Caleb – having his own personal Spinal Tap moment – said “I’m gonna drink some beer and drink some tequila ... I’m not drunk, I’m just fuckin’ hot ... I have no God damned idea what the fuck is going on ... You guys are one of the best crowds I ever played for in my whole fuckin’ life ... I’m gonna go backstage and I’m gonna vomit then I’m gonna drink a beer and I’m going to come back out”.
There’s a weird poetic beauty to Caleb’s extemporising — something which, let’s face it, has been missing from Kings of Leon lyrics for a while now. It should hardly come as a surprise that he never returned to the stage in Dallas after his vomit/beer (never a good combination) malfunction, but it’s what happened next which is presaging all the “Kings of Leon to break up” headlines.
There is always a strong allegiance to the notion of “omertá” among bands, especially while on tour, but after the hoary old “Caleb was just dehydrated” explanation didn’t get any traction, bass player Jared tweeted “I can’t lie. There are problems in our band bigger than drinking enough Gatorade. There are internal sicknesses and problems that need to be addressed”.
An "intervention" via a tweet – that must be a first. And it wasn't just Jared having a go; drummer Nathan followed up with a tweet about being "ashamed and embarrassed by last night's fiasco", which is really Nathan being "ashamed and embarrassed" by Caleb. But then Caleb and Nathan are the Noel and Liam of the band – during the recording of Come Around Sundownthey got into a drunken fight that left Caleb with a broken arm.
In a documentary about the band, over which they had copy approval, there's a scene in which Nathan tells Caleb: "You get so fuckin' drunk and talk shit. Your band can not stand you. You have to go to get your fuckin' self together. We have made you, you piece of shit". File next to Metallica's Some Kind of Monsterfamily-therapy DVD.
The key phrase here is the reference to “your band”. With cousin Matthew keeping himself well out of it, it seems the brotherly resentment at Caleb’s star billing – and the way they responded to his mini-meltdown in Dallas – is the big issue here.
Despite all the recent soothing statements about “getting better” etc, the history of feuding siblings in rock bands tells us (that despite all the rehab and counselling) that this story won’t have a happy ending. My money is on Matthew becoming the Ringo of the band.
Mixed bag
The Outcasts playing their first gig in years in Belfast last weekend. I can't be the only one who thinks Self Conscious Over You gives that Undertones song a run for its money as the best (Northern) Irish single of all time
Stevie Nicks and her "ownership". She's one of the great female rock voices and I know she's had her "issues" but enough with the pyschobabble.
