You might not expect Las Vegas to give birth to a rock and roll band like The Killers. The group formed in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). Mark Stoermer (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. (drums, percussion) would complete the current lineup of the band in 2002.
The band’s name is derived from a logo on the bass drum of a fictitious band portrayed in the music video for the New Order song “Crystal.”
After lead singer Brandon Flowers attended an Oasis concert, he decided rock and roll was the direction for him. He found a newspaper ad from Dave Keuning, a 25-year-old guitarist who had moved to Vegas from Iowa a year earlier. They bonded over similar musical influences and immediately began writing songs together in Keuning’s apartment.
These core players auditioned bass players and drummers and improved their sound; yet their demo tape was rejected by American labels. The Killers demo tape did catch the ear of an A&R rep from the United Kingdom who worked at the newly formed Independent label Lizard King Records in London. Despite not yet meeting the band in person, Lizard King were quick to offer the band a deal based on the strength of the five song demo. The Killers signed with the British label in July 2003.
Their climb to fame began a month later when the song “Mr. Brightside” was played by DJ Zane Lowe on his BBC Radio 1 show in the UK. The buzz began and soon they signed with an American label, Island Def Jam. The Killers first album, Hot Fuss, was released late in 2003 and their touring and concerts became more successful as time rocked on.
The Killers were named The World’s Best Selling New Group at the 2005 World Music Awards, the same year they won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist and were also nominated for three Grammy Awards with Hot Fuss being nominated for Best Rock Album. In the UK they picked up an NME Award for Best International Band. The band was recognized by Rolling Stone as the “best-selling new rock band of the past year” in June 2005. Lead singer Brandon Flowers had also gained media attention, being named both Sexiest and Best Dressed Man at the NME Awards.
Flowers and band recorded four additional albums to cement their status as one of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century and the most successful rock band to ever emerge from the state of Nevada, selling an estimated 22 million records worldwide. The Killers have been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, seven BRIT Awards, and twenty-four NewMusicExpress Awards. The Killers are the only international act to have a five-album streak of No. 1 albums, from their debut, in the United Kingdom.
“My Own Soul’s Warning” arrived at midnight on June 17, 2020 and appeared on Imploding the Mirage, the Las Vegas rockers’ sixth studio album, out 1/29/2021.
In June, 2021 Bruce Springsteen announced an upcoming collaboration with the Killers. Later that day the Killers’ social media announced the remake of “A Dustland Fairytale” retitled “Dustland” after a series of teases by the band throughout the day.As it was announced in July 2021, the band’s seventh album, entitled Pressure Machine, was released on August 13, 2021. Mark Stoermer remained absent due to difficulties presented by the COVID-19 Pandemic during recording and did not make it to the studio. The Forty-Five’s Rhian Daly called it a “quiet, poetic character study of small-town life.” Pressure Machine debuted at No. 1. on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, snagging the band’s seventh U.K. No. 1.
In June 2021, Keuning confirmed that the band had begun working on their eighth album, for which Flowers alluded to an early 2023 release in July 2022. In March 2022, the band released a deluxe edition of Pressure Machine. The next month they kicked off their Imploding the Mirage tour with three nights at the Chelsea Ballroom in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Bassist Mark Stoermer was still absent, his part covered on tour by Jake Blanton, but Stoermer was reportedly interested in recording the band’s next album, their eighth.
On July 8, 2022, the band unveiled their upcoming single “Boy” during their performance at Mad Cool Festival in Madrid. An anthem filled with hope, the song was written during the Pressure Machine recording sessions but didn’t fit the album’s aesthetic. During an interview with NME, Flowers confirmed they have been working on their eighth album, stating there would be more single releases in 2022 leading to the album’s release early 2023. Flowers eventually scrapped that entire album..
The new August 2024 single, “Bright Lights” is a big, arena-ready song with a celebratory chorus centered on homecoming. A musical homage to The Killers’ home city of Las Vegas, the band released it five days ahead of the start of their 10-date residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas strip. “Bright Lights” is the first studio-recorded song featuring all four of The Killers’ original members – Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Mark Stoermer, and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. – since their Wonderful Wonderful album in 2017.
Discography:
Hot Fuss (2004)
Sam’s Town (2006)
Day & Age (2008)
Battle Born (2012)
Wonderful Wonderful (2017)
Imploding the Mirage(2021)
Pressure Machine(2021)
K-ZAP 93.3 FM at K-ZAP.ORG/LISTEN/ Plays The Killers.
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