A sold-out Astoria crowd were unequivocal in their appreciation of an authentically earsplitting display of heavy rock.

Kings of Leon consists of the three Followill brothers - Caleb on vocals, Jared on bass, Nathan on drums - alongside their 22-year-old cousin Matthew Followill on lead guitar.

The brothers spent their childhoods touring the Deep South with their father, Leon, a travelling Pentecostal preacher, before forming a country and western group as teenagers, performing at southern rodeos.

Although they're hip, sophisticated members of the garage rock scene who probably spend a great deal of time in New York bars frequented entirely by very thin people in vintage T-shirts, their unorthodox upbringing has left them with a noticeable legacy of Southern politeness and country guitar sensibilities that sat endearingly alongside a hard rocking sound that was cool without being ironic.

Not surprisingly, their anthemic 2003 hit Molly's Chambers was one of the show's highpoints, the band rendering the song's complex guitar work completely faithfully, undaunted by the number of fans being pulled over the front barrier by security as sweaty mayhem unfolded in front of them.

Darting though their back catalogue, they showed off their musicianship at a variety of tempos, the slow, epic-sounding On Call being particularly effective.

New album tracks were recognised immediately by the clued-up fans and energy levels were kept high throughout, thanks to tight drums and a forceful guitar-based assault that was marred in part by the slightly tinny sound quality and occasional over-use of the distortion pedals .

Caleb didn't leap around the stage, but nonetheless exuded the sort of static intensity that made him seem at times rather like a young Lemmy as he tilted his head back and roared, his long hair falling over his denim waistcoat.

It's hard to believe that, having just released their third critically acclaimed album, Kings of Leon have yet to score a major hit in their homeland.

Well it's the Americans' loss. Over here, it's a very different story, as the crowd made clear, showering their heroes with rowdy love in recognition of a job well done.