The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning. After the band went through a number of short-term bassists and drummers, Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined in 2002.
The Killers have released seven studio albums, each of which topped the UK Albums Chart: Hot Fuss, Sam's Town, Day & Age, Battle Born, Wonderful Wonderful, Imploding the Mirage, and Pressure Machine. They have also released a B-sides and rarities compilation, Sawdust ; a live album, Live from the Royal Albert Hall ; two greatest-hits albums, Direct Hits and Rebel Diamonds ; and a Christmas compilation, Don't Waste Your Wishes.
Since 2016 and 2017, respectively, Stoermer and Keuning have had extended hiatuses from the band. Stoermer mostly retired from touring, citing both exhaustion and lingering effects from a pyrotechnics accident, while Keuning released a solo album. Despite his hiatus from touring, Stoermer participated in recording sessions for Wonderful Wonderful and Imploding the Mirage, and it was announced that Keuning was participating in recording Pressure Machine, which was released in 2021. Ted Sablay, who had served as a touring keyboardist and rhythm guitarist for the band since 2006, assumed lead guitar duties for live shows in Keuning's absence, while touring rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Jake Blanton assumed the role of bassist in live shows. With Sablay moving to lead guitar, the band hired Taylor Milne and Robbie Connolly to play rhythm guitar and keyboards, respectively, live.
The Killers are considered one of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century, selling more than 28 million records worldwide, including 10.8 million in the U.S. They have performed in over 50 countries and on six continents, headlining venues such as Madison Square Garden, Wembley Stadium, Glastonbury Festival in 2007 and 2019, and Electric Picnic in Ireland in 2023.
History
2001–2003: Origins and formation
In 2001, Brandon Flowers was fired by his first band, a synth-pop trio called Blush Response. After attending an Oasis concert at the Hard Rock Hotel during The Tour of Brotherly Love, Flowers realized his calling was to be in a rock band and began searching for like-minded musicians. He eventually came across an ad posted in a Las Vegas newspaper by Dave Keuning, a 25-year-old guitarist who had moved to Las Vegas from Iowa a year earlier. When the pair met, they bonded over similar musical influences and began writing songs together in Keuning's apartment. They named their band the Killers because that was the name of a fictional band in the video for the New Order song "Crystal". In November 2001, they headed to Kill the Messenger Studio in Henderson, Nevada, along with recently recruited drummer Matt Norcross, to record a demo. They recorded two tracks: "Mr. Brightside", the first song Flowers and Keuning wrote together, and "Desperate". A month later, they recorded two more, "Under the Gun" and "Replaceable", with Keuning's roommate Dell Neal on bass.Keuning and Flowers played their first live show together at an open mic night at the Cafe Espresso Roma in Las Vegas in January 2002. The pair, joined by Neal and Norcross, began playing venues around the city where they handed out free copies of their demo. The Killers brought a unique style to the small Vegas music scene, which was dominated by punk, nu metal, and rap bands; one local reviewer wrote, "The Killers, thankfully, don't come across like any other band in town", and described their sound as a mix between the "pop styles of British music and the lo-fi fuzz of modern indie rock". By the summer of 2002, the Killers, whose early live sound was also described as erratic, had fired Norcross and briefly replaced him with Brian Havens, who was also eventually fired. Neal later left the band for personal reasons.
Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined the Killers shortly before Neal's departure. Vannucci was well known in the Las Vegas music scene, having played in bands since he was young. He met the Killers in 2002 while he playing in other bands, including Daphne Major and Romance Fantasy. Vannucci's first show with the band was on August 30, 2002, at a club called The Junkyard. Playing bass that night was Mark Stoermer, who was at this point the lead guitarist for local progressive rock band the Negative Ponies. The band wanted Stoermer to join them permanently, but he was initially reluctant. They had first approached him to be the second guitarist when they were considering turning the band into a five-piece, "possibly more like the Strokes, with a keyboard". Stoermer later said he could also play bass. The band had continued as a three-piece, trying out other bassists until November 2002, when Stoermer accepted the invitation to join. According to Ryan Pardey, who booked many of the band's early shows, "They became a great band when Ronnie and Mark joined. That's when they finally became a cohesive unit. What Ronnie did — he was the discipline — and Mark was just a solid musician."
While walking through a Virgin Megastore in Las Vegas in 2002, Flowers noticed the album artwork on the then-new Elvis Presley compilation album ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits. This inspired him to use a marquee sign motif as the band's logo. The band hired Vannucci's roommate's girlfriend to design it, and the logo has been used in the band's branding, releases, promotional materials, and merchandise ever since.
The four members worked on song ideas in Vannucci's garage. They also sneaked into the band room at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas at night to practice. During this period, the band wrote much of its debut album, Hot Fuss, including the hit singles "Somebody Told Me" and "Smile Like You Mean It". The band continued playing at small venues around Las Vegas, often playing Sunday nights at the transgender bar Sasha's. They caught the attention of Braden Merrick, an A&R rep for Warner Bros. Records who had come across their demo on a website dedicated to unsigned bands in the Las Vegas area. After attending a live show, he offered to help the band find a record deal, and eventually became their manager. He took the band to Berkeley, California, to record demos with former Green Day manager Jeff Saltzman. They sent the demo tapes to major U.S. record labels. The band was invited to perform at a number of showcases but was not signed. The band then caught the eye of Alex Gilbert, an A&R rep from the United Kingdom. Gilbert took a demo with him to the UK and showed it to his friend Ben Durling, who worked at the newly formed independent label Lizard King Records. Despite not meeting the band in person, Lizard King offered the band a deal based on the strength of the five song demo. The Killers signed with Lizard King Records in July 2003.
2003–2005: ''Hot Fuss''
On August 19, 2003, the song "Mr. Brightside" premiered on DJ Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show in the UK.Zane Lowe Tracklistings: 19/08/2003"> The Killers traveled to London the following month to spend a week playing at live music venues across the city. On September 29, 2003, the song "Mr. Brightside" was released in the UK on a limited number of CDs and vinyl records. Critical reviews of both the song and the shows were positive: NME noted the band's retro sound, commenting "The Killers steal so smartly, and with such mind-boggling variety". As a result of the buzz generated in the UK, a number of major labels in the US began showing strong interest in the band and they were invited to play at the ASCAP CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. They eventually signed with the record label Island Def Jam.The band finished recording Hot Fuss in November 2003 with Jeff Saltzman. They decided to keep many of the previously recorded demos, as they felt they had a spontaneity that re-recordings would not have. Shortly afterwards they returned to London, having been invited to support British Sea Power on their UK tour. The band also worked with Alan Moulder at Eden Studios and Townhouse Studios mixing tracks for their upcoming album. They continued playing support slots during the first half of 2004, including touring both the US & UK with Stellastarr and opening for Morrissey on two occasions. The band filmed their first music video for the Spring 2004 release of "Somebody Told Me" which was to be the band's debut single in the US and second single in the UK. The band's first headline tour started in the UK in May 2004. During the spring and summer of 2004, the group played well-received sets at festivals across Europe and North America.
The Killers released their debut album Hot Fuss on June 7, 2004, in the United Kingdom on Lizard King Records and a week later in the United States on Island Records. The track listing differed depending on territory, in the UK and Australia "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" replaces "Change Your Mind" as track eight. Upon release, Hot Fuss received generally favorable reviews from critics. Extensive touring and the success of the Grammy Award nominated singles "Somebody Told Me", "All These Things That I've Done" and "Mr. Brightside" led to the album becoming a commercial success. Hot Fuss reached number one in the UK in January 2005, seven months after its release, and has been certified 7× Platinum in both the UK and Ireland. It went on to spend more weeks on the UK Albums chart than any other album that decade, 173 weeks in total. In the US, the album reached its peak position of number seven in April 2005 and has been certified 3× Platinum. It reached the top spot in Australia in March 2005, where it was certified 3× Platinum. It has also been certified 3× Platinum in Canada, Platinum in New Zealand and Gold in Argentina, Belgium, Germany and France. "Mr. Brightside" has been downloaded 3.7 million times in the United States as of 2017 and certified Diamond.
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 received 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, and while being named both Sexiest and Best Dressed Man at the NME Awards, he had also caused controversy due to some outspoken views on other bands.
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.
The band fired manager Braden Merrick in 2006. Merrick later filed a lawsuit against the band for breach of contract and their new manager and lawyer, Robert Reynolds, for $16 million each. The band counter sued, citing that Merrick's poor management had cost them millions. The case was settled in 2009.