Ohana Festival opening night headliners Kings of Leon talk about new music

Five years passed between Kings Of Leon’s previous album, “Walls,” and the band’s recently released album, “When You See Yourself.”

That may seem like a long gap between albums. But in reality, Kings Of Leon had the album finished in 2019 only to see the pandemic put album release and touring on hold. But the situation wasn’t all bad.

“We were so used to the, after you finish the record, you just slowly start your press and then play little shows and then it’s the world tour. So we were all geared up for that,” Kings Of Leon singer Caleb Followill recalled in a mid-July phone interview. “When it did all stop and we started to realize that that wasn’t going to be the case, it actually in a weird way, was educational in a good way for us. We were like, I kind of like putting in all of the hard work of making an album, then like pausing and sitting back for a second instead of diving straight into it (touring) and wearing ourselves out. So there was some good to go along with the bad.”

Kings of Leon headlines opening night of the Ohana Festival at Doheny State Beach on Friday, Sept. 24. The three-day festival curated by Eddie Vedder returns to Dana Point for its fifth year this weekend with performances from Vedder, Pearl Jam, My Morning Jacket and more. Pearl Jam will headline the Ohana Encore, a scaled-down version of the festival, at the site on Oct. 1 and 2.

The band, which includes three Followill brothers Caleb, Jared (bass/keyboards) and Nathan (drums) and their cousin, Matthew Followill (lead guitar/keyboards), appears to be in a decidedly good place. The writing and making of “When You See Yourself” found the band members perhaps more in sync than ever.

“It felt like we were all kind of listening to the same kind of music,” Caleb Followill said. “Back in the olden days – not that old – but like the ‘Come Around Sundown’ days (of 2010), Jared was a young buck out on the town. So when he would come into the studio, you could tell he had been listening to music that had some dance to it. Meanwhile, I was kind of, I was in New York and I wanted to be home, so I was listening to like country music. So we were all bringing in our own new different things and we made it work and it ended up being an album I love. But with this one, it felt like we were all on the same page when we went in there. So it cut the conversation down a lot. We all just kind of knew what the vibe is we wanted.”

“When You See Yourself” emphasizes a more moody and atmospheric side to the band’s sound on tunes like “Claire and Eddie” (which has a bit of a Pink Floyd-ish feel), “Supermarket” and “When You See Yourself, Are You Far Away” (both of which make nice use of some chiming tones). Meanwhile, fans of the band’s more straightforward Southern-hued rock material get four strong rockers in “The Bandit,” “Stormy Weather,” “Time In Disguise” and “Golden Restless Age.”

As the making of “Come Around Sundown” suggests, things haven’t always gone so swimmingly for Kings Of Leon, but the Followills have navigated their way to major popularity.

The band’s first three albums enjoyed considerable success in the United Kingdom and Europe, and with the fourth album, “Only by the Night,” Kings Of Leon broke through in the U.S., as “Sex on Fire” and “Use Somebody” became hit singles.

Probably the most uncertain period for the band came in touring behind “Come Around Sundown.” Most famously, at a 2011 concert in Dallas, Caleb Followill abruptly stormed off stage in the middle of a show. The band canceled the remaining dates of the tour, and there was plenty of speculation that Kings Of Leon had crashed and burned that night.

Instead, after a short break, the group got right back to work on the Grammy-nominated 2013 album, “Mechanical Bull.” “Walls” followed three years later and became the band’s first album to top “Billboard’s” all genre Billboard 200 album chart.

“When you look back to 2010, 2011, those times, we were pushing ourselves and working ourselves non-stop, really hard,” Caleb Followill said, shedding light on the issues that led to his actions in Dallas. “We didn’t give ourselves much of a chance to have some normalcy. I feel like now that we have that and now that we’ve all matured and have families now, it really puts it all in perspective. It makes you realize how good you have it. We’re all very fortunate.”

Kings Of Leon are in the early stages of the tour cycle to promote “When You See Yourself,” and are minus Matthew Followill for the first leg of the tour. He’s staying home with his wife following the birth of the couple’s new baby. Touring guitarist Timothy Deaux is filling in, with Chris Coleman taking on Deaux’s role as touring guitarist. But Kings Of Leon should continue to deliver on the band’s reputation as a dynamic live act.

“I think for us it’s just about trying to play the songs that are going to make people happy and keep our energy up,” Caleb Followill said. “And yeah, hopefully the new songs that we’re going to be throwing into the set list are going to bring a whole new vibe that we haven’t had in the past.”

If you go

When: Ohana Festival runs Sept. 24-26; Ohana Encore is Oct. 1-2. Kings of Leon plays Sept. 24.

Where: Doheny State Beach, 25300 Dana Point Harbor Drive, Dana Point

COVID-19 information: All concertgoers must show proof of full vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours of event to enter.

Tickets: Ohana is sold out, but resale tickets are available. Ohana Encore general admission passes are $138.50 for one-day and $275 for both days.

Information: ohanafest.com