Formed in 2002 by Brandon Flowers (b. 21 June 1981, Henderson, Nevada, USA; vocals/keyboards), David Keuning (b. 28 March 1976, Des Moines, Iowa, USA; guitar), Mark Stoermer (b. 28 June 1977, Texas, USA; bass), Ronnie Vannucci Jnr. (b. 15 February 1976, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; drums, ex-Attaboy Skip), this US rock band achieved recognition two years later with the perfectly pitched summer hit ‘Somebody Told Me’. Flowers had previously played with Anglophile synth pop outfit Blush Response but embraced a more guitar-orientated direction with his new band. The musical influences on the Killers remained resolutely English, however, from the glam pop of Duran Duran, through the synth pop of Depeche Mode and New Order, to the indie guitar rock of the Smiths and Echo And The Bunnymen.
Taking their name from a reference in a New Order video for the single ‘Crystal’, the quartet wrote the majority of the tracks that would later appear on their debut album while still resident in their native Las Vegas. However, they were snapped up by the London, England-based independent label Lizard King who invited the band over to the UK for a series of gigs. The label also released the Killers’ excellent debut EP Mr. Brightside, in September 2003. The growing buzz around the band generated by both the single and the Killers’ dynamic live sets led to a worldwide recording contract with Island Records. Work on the band’s debut album was completed over the next few months and Hot Fuss was released in summer 2004. Buoyed by the popularity of ‘Somebody Told Me’ the album became one of the year’s slow-burning successes on both sides of the Atlantic, eventually racking up worldwide album sales of five million.
The Killers spent 2005 supporting major artists including Morrissey and U2 on tour. They also made a memorable appearance at the London Live 8 concert in July, performing their song ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’. The band’s new single ‘When You Were Young’ was released in September 2006, and was swiftly followed by Sam’s Town. The album was markedly more American in sound and production, with the band members going on record to proclaim the influence of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. Reviews were mixed on both sides of the Atlantic.
