Kings of Leon keen to return to Australia with release of new album When You See Yourself

Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill’s supermodel wife Lily Aldridge wants them to relocate to Australia, but there’s a catch.

Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill has been fielding suggestions from his supermodel wife Lily Aldridge for the American rockers and their families to relocate to Australia.

The social media savvy Aldridge has no doubt noted the Hollywood exodus of famous friends to our shores for film and television projects.

And with gigs slowly returning to our stages, American musicians are keen to explore touring here as the pandemic lockdowns continue throughout the US and Europe with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl both recently canvassing tour possibilities out loud.

Kings of Leon delayed their new record for a year because of COVID. Picture: Supplied

It has been more than seven years since Followill, his brothers Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew last performed here, and as they release their new album When You See Yourself, they are desperate to scratch their live itch.

“It’s been way too long. That’s the one place that we’re always so disappointed when we have a new album and we don’t get to go visit,” Caleb says.

“You ready for some more celebrities to move into your country? Cuz we’re ready. My wife doesn’t stop with it. She’s like, ‘Why don’t we go to Australia?’ I’m like ‘Babe, we haven’t been invited.’”

Matthew Followill (second from left) was the band’s official photographer for the new album project. Picture: Supplied

The Sex On Fire rock superstars have been teasing patient fans with preview singles from their eighth studio album – their first since 2016’s Walls, since its planned release a year ago was scuttled by COVID-19.

Songs including The Bandit, 100,000 People, March March and last week’s single Echoing have added tens of millions of streams to their account and hint at a return to a more driving, classic rock sound.

The title also continues the band’s Easter egg of five syllable album titles. While Walls may have appeared to have broken that run, the band insisted it was an acronym for We Are Like Love Songs.

Caleb said the new title came in the studio as he randomly sang words along to the music of the album’s opening track When You See Yourself, Are You Far Away. He admits the five-syllable challenge is getting harder to conquer with each new album.

The rockers were last here eight years ago to play Goat Island and national tour. Picture: Supplied.

“It’s getting harder for us to settle on what the five syllables are going to be. From the very beginning of writing songs, we were all starting to kick things around,” he says.

“I was a little shocked what we landed on because it was it was one of those things where that song was finished and the guys wanted me to go in and sing some lyrics so I just jotted down very quickly, when you see yourself, are you far away … all those things I say at the end and sang them.

“When I came out, everyone was kind of quiet and I asked them what was going on.

“And they said that was the album title.”

The ambiguous phrase also offered inspiration for the artwork and videos for guitarist Matthew, who became the band’s official photographer for the project after years of pursuing the hobby.

Rock bands are rarely willing photo subjects so having an insider on the job made the task more enjoyable for the Followill clan.

“He’s found a way to make us look cool, which is getting harder the older we get, you know,” Caleb says, laughing.

“He’s really talented and he’s become a huge part of what we do visually, he’s really blowing my mind.

“But he does jump in your face with a camera and you have to be like, ‘Hey, come on, f … off for a minute’.”

There was a time in the Kings of Leon camp when that order came with added punches. The four men were renowned for their alcohol-fuelled scraps on the road in their younger days, the kind of family fights which brew for weeks and erupt in a flash.

Lily Aldridge is keen for her Followill family to head down under. Picture: Instagram.

These days, getting together for work or play is a far more civilised affair; they are married men with seven kids between them. Caleb and Aldridge have an eight-year-old daughter Daisy Pearl and two-year-old son Winston Roy.

They have front row seats to the band’s works-in-progress but are yet to become his biggest fans.

“My daughter dances for us every night and it’s always some new music and I feel like I’m 80 years old. I’m sitting there going ‘What the f … is this?’” he says.

“I will say my two year old Winston walks around the house all day singing ‘you do, you do, you do’ (from 100,000 People) so he’s into it. And therefore he’s my favourite child.”

But Caleb’s hopes for the rock band’s continuing popularity were buoyed when he recently spotted a social media post from a girl saying how excited she was about listening to the new record with her Dad who had turned her onto Kings of Leon.

“I don’t see much of anything, but I did see that (tweet) and it kind of made the hair stand up on my arms. If you listen to our early work, it would make sense that someone’s dad would be into it because it was kind of an older school vibe of rock and roll,” the 39-year-old says.

“So, yeah, I feel like we’re starting to pick up a new generation of fans and that’s a great feeling but it’s also very shocking.

“As a guy whose kids hate my music, it’s good to see that someone’s kids like it.”

When You See Yourself is out on March 5.