The American rockers performed the song 'Always The Same' at California's Bottle Rock Music & Arts festival at the weekend (May 11).

It was the first time the song had been played live and it was received well by fans.

As previously reported, Kings of Leon star Jared Followill recently revealed that the group's sixth studio album is now finished.

The record is scheduled for a September release and the bassist said that it echoed the band's previous material. He said:

"I thought we were going to make a really mature album but I'm amazed how youthful it sounds. It's like a mix of 'Youth & Young Manhood' and 'Because Of The Times'."

The US rockers will play the Boucher Road Playing Fields shindig on August 14 as they hit the summer festival circuit.

Whilst no other acts have yet been announced, tickets for the Kings of Leon day will go on sale on Friday (April 12).

Head of Marketing for Tennent's Northern Ireland Nicola McCleery said in a statement: "We're incredibly excited that Kings of Leon will be taking to the stage at the festival this August, as we're sure our fans will be. They're one of the finest bands in the world and a phenomenal live act, and I'm sure they'll treat us to an unmissable set. We'll have more news on the rest of the line-up next month with many more top acts in store - details will be revealed very soon!"

Kings of Leon are also confirmed to perform at this year's V Festival in England in August.

The US rockers have been busy creating the follow-up to 2010's 'Come Around Sundown', which will be their sixth studio record so far.

Speaking to NME, bassist Jared Followill confirmed that the album has been recorded and is currently being sequenced.

He added that the record has a "youthful" sound, revealing:

"I thought we were going to make a really mature album but I'm amazed how youthful it sounds. It's like a mix of 'Youth & Young Manhood' and 'Because Of The Times'."

As previously reported, Followill recently tweeted that he was too drunk to lay down a bass part in the studio.

The US rockers are currently working on their sixth studio album, which will mark the follow-up to their 2010 hit 'Come Around Sundown'.

However, it seems it isn't all going swimmingly, with bassist Followill confessing on Twitter yesterday (March 8) that he wasn't able to lay down a part due to drinking too much alcohol. He said:

"Wine isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for me. Just tried for a sequence to the new album. Very exciting stuff. I can't quite nail it down due to the being too drunk. ?#Tomorrow"

He added: "I can't believe there hasn't been a scene in a movie with a dude playing drums on his steering wheel so hard his airbag pops out. My "drafts" on twitter should be titled "drunk thoughts you might tweet tomorrow if they're not too offensive."

The family four-piece - comprising Caleb Followill, Nathan Followill, Jared Followill and Matthew Followill - will be flown out by the Russian Chelsea owner to entertain around 400 guests at the prestigious party in the Caribbean isle of St Barts.

The no-expense-spared bash will reportedly take place in a huge tent on  Abramovich’s 70-acre estate at Gouverneur Beach.

The tycoon is famed for securing some of music's finest acts to headline his star-studded parties.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were flown in last year, with The Black Eyed Peas, Prince, Beyoncé and Gwen Stefani all also performing at his prestigious New Years events.

Kings of Leon recently confirmed a batch of UK tour dates due to take place next year - they are scheduled to play six shows in England in June and July as they hit the country's arenas.

The US rockers are scheduled to play six shows in England in June and July as they hit the country's arenas.

The run will form part of a European tour and will kick off at London's O2 Arena on June 12 and 13.

It will travel to Manchester before ending up with two shows at Birmingham's LG Arena in July.

The full tour schedule is as follows:

London O2 Arena - June 12, 13

Manchester Arena - June 24, 25

Birmingham LG Arena - July 9, 10

Tickets for the dates are due to go on sale on Friday (November 9).

Followill became a father in June this year after his partner Lily Aldridge gave birth to Dixie Pearl, her first child with Followill.

Aldridge, who is a model, posted a photo of the musician holding his baby in the air on her Twitter account.

She tweeted afterwards: "Glad everyone liked our family pic :) she's our angel!!"

Aldridge and Followill got engaged in 2010 before tying the knot in May 2011.

Caleb isn't the only Followill to have indulged in love recently, with Kings of Leon bassist Jared Followill announcing his engagement to girlfriend Martha Patterson.

The pair got engaged last month, but he teased the exciting news last night (May 1) by posting a series of cryptic yet entertaining tweets about a forthcoming announcement and shot down suggestions that it was probably going to be about a new album:

"Big news coming tomorrow! (It's not a sextape.......yet). Everybody begging for a new KOL album: Of course that will happen. No worries about that. That's not the news. That should be expected."

He returned to social networking site Twitter earlier this evening (May 2) and joked: "It's true! I'm engaged! CANNOT wait to finally lose my virginity."

The band endured a somewhat tumultuous 2011, with reports of inner band strife regularly appearing in the media.

However, drummer Nathan Followill told MTV that the quartet are set to play around with new material in the near future. He said:

"We're going to spend the next few months getting that up and running; kind of make it our little clubhouse to get there and just kind of goof off whenever we want to. But, I'd say within the next six months, we'll probably start kicking some stuff around."

Followill also commented on the tensions surrounding the band - suggesting that the media had exaggerated events. He said:

"Over the holidays, [you] break some bread, have some turkey, everyone makes up. I don't think it was as big as people thought it was, but the press machine takes it and runs with it."

Flights from the airline have been grounded over the past couple of days because of a union row over job cuts and the changes caused the 'Sex On Fire' stars to spend "24 hours in the air". He tweeted:

"Good morning. Dear Qantas, u suck, thanks 4 fucking up my trip 2 Oz. Joberg-Dubai-Sydney. 24 hours in the air. That's how much I love Oz."

"#YouKnowWhatIHateTheMost Qantas Airlines. The silver lining is that we are throwing one hell of a halloween party on the plane. I'm going as the drunk guy in seat 5a."

Watch the band talk about their movie, 'Talihina Sky' below:

The band recently cancelled their entire U.S tour after revealing that Caleb Followill was suffering from "vocal issues and exhaustion" and are now taking a break. 

Murphy - mother of Caleb, Nathan and Jared, and aunt to Matthew - told America's Star magazine that the problems aren't worth of rehab and the guys just need some time off to regroup and recover from being "young men":

"It's not the end of the band. Sometimes they all drink more than they should - they're young men and go on a binge. None of them need rehab. They'll be back better than ever."

Watch the band's video for 'Back Down South' below:

The 'Sex on Fire' stars recently cancelled their entire U.S tour as Caleb Followill was confirmed to be suffering from "vocal issues and exhaustion", but amid media reports that he has since been fired Nathan Followill has set the record straight:

"Breaking News. Kings of Leon has kicked Caleb out and Jared and Matt will be taking over lead vocals. Where do people come up with this? Hilarious."

Watch the moment that these inner band issues came to light during a gig in Dallas here:

The band had a particularly bad experience during a gig in Dallas on July 29 where Caleb told the audience, "I'm gonna go backstage for a second. I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer", and proceeded to leave the stage causing the show to finish early. 

This incident prompted Jared to write a message of sincere apology to his fans on Twitter that alluded to more serious issues, which read:

"I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade."

Now, the situation appears to have taken a turn for the worst as the band's whole tour has been called to a permanent halt and a statement on Kings of Leon's official website explains that the dates can't even be rescheduled as their calendar is fully booked:

"We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion. The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break."

"Unfortunately, the US dates cannot be rescheduled due to the band's international tour schedule. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase. Tickets purchased online or via phones will be automatically refunded. The band will resume touring in Canada at the Rogers Center in Vancouver, BC, on September 28th. That show was originally schedule for September 14th."

Watch fan-recorded footage of Caleb's early exit from the Dallas gig below:

The 'Sex on Fire' rockers performed to the Texas crowd on July 29, but the show came to an unexpected halt after only 45 minutes because of the singer's decision to "go backstage" and "vomit". Speaking to his audience, Caleb said:

"My voice is completely 100-percent wrong, I'm sorry. I'm about to fall down here because I'm so goddamn hot…I'm gonna go backstage for a second. I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out here and I'm gonna play three more songs.”

Band member Jared took to Twitter yesterday, July 30, and apologised profusely for the inconvenience. He wrote:

"Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words."

"I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren't stupid. I can't lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade."

Watch fan-recorded footage of the moment that Caleb decided he should leave the stage below:

34-year-old Dunn was killed on Monday, June 20 when he crashed his 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 at a high-speed and the 'Use Somebody' stars took time out from their blistering set to pay tribute to him.

They told their audience to raise a glass to "a friend of ours who's passed away" before performing 'McFearless'. 

The band's bassist, Jared Followill, also tweeted earlier that day:

"I'm heartbroken to say that our great friend we made over the last 8 months has passed away. Honestly in shock. Devastated. #RIP Ryan Dunn."

Watch video footage of their tribute below: