| The Killers | |
| |
| Background information | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |
| Genre | Alternative rock, Post-punk revival, heartland rock |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Labels | Island, Vertigo, Marrakesh Records |
| Members | Brandon Flowers Dave Keuning Mark Stoermer Ronnie Vannucci |
| Musicians | |
The Killers are an American alternative rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, formed in 2002. The band consists of Brandon Flowers (vocals, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion). Band members performed with Duran Duran on stage in 2009.
History[]
Formation and early years (2002-2003)[]
In 2002, Brandon Flowers was abandoned by his first band, a synthpop band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California. He then met David Keuning after responding to an ad that Keuning had placed in a Vegas newspaper. Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and Mark Stoermer were approached by Flowers and Keuning with an offer to join "The Killers", a name which comes from the bass drum of a fictional band in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal".
Initially, The Killers played at small clubs in Las Vegas, Nevada, where they often played at drag shows. With the band's lineup stable and its repertoire of songs expanding, the band attracted the attention of Niall Norbury, a British representative for Warner Bros. Though Warner Bros. did not like the band, he took the demo back with him, showing it to friend Ben Durling, who worked at UK indie label Lizard King. The Killers went on to sign with the British label in July 2003.
On the 19 August 2003 , "Mr. Brightside" premiered on DJ Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show in the UK. The Killers then travelled to the UK and began to play shows in bars and clubs , the crowds grew everynight through word of mouth and critical reviews were extremely positive ,
upon returning to the US they were signed by Island Def Jam.
Hot Fuss (2003–2006)[]
The Killers performing in 2006 on the Sam's Town Tour 2006.The Killers released their album Hot Fuss in June 2004 in the United Kingdom on Marrakesh Records, and in the United States on Island Records. Hot Fuss has been classified 6x Platinum by the BPI and 3x Platinum by RIAA. The band also had chart success with its singles "Mr. Brightside", which reached the Top 10 in the UK when released. and "All These Things That I've Done". However, their mainstream success came when they scored a number three chart position in the UK with their re-release of "Somebody Told Me".
The members of the band appeared as themselves in the episode "The New Era" of the teen television drama The O.C., which aired in December 2004. In July 2005, The Killers performed on the London stage of the Live 8 concert, playing "All These Things That I've Done". Robbie Williams incorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance. Coldplay and U2 followed suit and, at their separate concerts played in Las Vegas, with The Killers in the crowd, incorporated the line into their songs "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and "Beautiful Day", respectively.
Sam's Town (2006–2007)[]
The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in October 2006 under Island Def Jam Music Group. Brandon Flowers said that Sam's Town would be "one of the best albums people would remember 20 years from now", though the album received a mixed response from critics and fans. The album sold over 706,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, with a number two debut on the Billboard chart. The record sold over a million copies by January 2007. The album produced four singles in the United Kingdom and United States: "When You Were Young" released in September 2006, "Bones" which was released in November 2006, "Read My Mind" which was released in February 2007, and "For Reasons Unknown" which was released in June 2007. The first single from Sam's Town, "When You Were Young", entered the chart on downloads alone at number five, and the following week on its official release went to number two on the UK Singles Chart.
The Killers recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for Live from Abbey Road on November 29, 2006. They performed an almost totally unplugged set, which included a rendition of the Dire Straits hit "Romeo and Juliet". In December 2006 the band released a Christmas charity song, "A Great Big Sled", which benefited Product Red. This was followed by the release of "Don't Shoot Me Santa" in November 2007,"Joseph, Better You Than Me" in 2008, and "¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!" in 2009, again for Product Red. In February 2007, The Killers attended the BRIT Awards in the United Kingdom, where they performed "When You Were Young". The band won two awards - Best International Group & International Album. In June 2007, The Killers headlined the iconic Glastonbury Festival.
Sawdust (2007–2008)[]
The band released a compilation album called Sawdust, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, in November 2007. Sawdust has been classified Platinum by the BPI. The album's first single "Tranquilize", a collaboration with Lou Reed, was released in October 2007. The album also contains the songs "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", (a Kenny Rogers and The First Edition cover), "Romeo and Juliet", (a Dire Straits cover), and "Daddy's Eyes", a B-side from "Bones"/Best Buy Bonus Track to Sam's Town. The first pressing of Sawdust contained a rare demo version of "Move Away" which Brandon Flowers later stated was a mistake on the part of the band's record label; the proper version the group intended to put on the album was previously available on the Spider-Man 3 soundtrack is included on later pressings of Sawdust. The band released a cover version of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" on the American iTunes Store that same month.
Day & Age (2008-present)[]
The Killers performing in September 2009 in the United States.The Killers finished working on a third album, which was released on November 24, 2008 in the UK and November 25, 2008 in North America. Brandon Flowers confirmed the album's title as Day & Age in an interview with NME. They worked with Stuart Price who did the Thin White Duke remix of "Mr Brightside" and produced "Leave the Bourbon on the Shelf" and "Sweet Talk". The first single from the album was "Human", although originally planned for Sawdust, it was released on September 22, with the music video released on iTunes on October 16. The band released a third Christmas single in December 2008, "Joseph, Better You Than Me". It features Elton John and Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. Proceeds from the downloads will benefit Product Red. Day & Age became the band's third studio album to reach number one in both the UK and Ireland, it reached number six on the Billboard 200 album chart. On July 13, 2009, UNICEF, MTV EXIT (End Exploitation and Trafficking) and the US Agency for International Development used a shortened version of the song "Goodnight, Travel Well" in a video to promote awareness of sex trafficking. The Killers headline the Friday night show of 2009's Hard Rock Calling in Hyde Park, London. The Killers also released a Christmas single in December 2009 called 'Happy Birthday Guadalupe', and in November 2009 their song 'A White Demon Love Song' was added to the 'New Moon' soundtrack.
After the final stretch of The Killers Day & Age tour, the band will take a short break after being on the road for the better part of six years.In late February, The Sun (a British newspaper) published the story that Flowers's mother had died after a two year fight with brain cancer. This meant a premature closing of their Day and Age tour cancelling the Asian dates. Two Australian dates in Sydney and Perth were cancelled, however both the Gold Coast and Melbourne concerts went ahead, with the Day & Age tour finally coming to a close in Melbourne on February 21 as the headline act at the Good Vibrations Festival at Flemington. Racecourse.
On February 24, 2010 Rolling Stone magazine revealed that Ray Davies had chosen The Killers to work on a cover albums of The Kinks' songs, due out at the end of the year.
Duran Duran[]
The Killers have been vocal about being influenced by Duran Duran and during The Red Carpet Massacre Tour at The Joint in Las Vegas on 9 May 2009, Brandon Flowers and David Keuning contributed to "Planet Earth". The recording of "Planet Earth" is bootlegged on Las Vegas: May 9, 2008.
Discography[]
See main article The Killers discography