About The Killers
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning . After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in their early days, both Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined 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".
The Killers have released seven studio albums, each of which reached the top spot on 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, both Stoermer and Keuning have had extended periods of hiatus from the band, though both remain official members. Stoermer mostly retired from touring, citing both exhaustion from the road and lingering effects from a pyrotechnics accident, while Keuning has released a solo album. Despite his hiatus from touring, Stoermer has 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 on August 13, 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 took up the job of bassist and has taken Stoermer's place in live shows. With Sablay moving to lead guitar, the band hired Taylor Milne and Robbie Connolly to play rhythm guitar and keyboards 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 US alone. They have performed in over 50 countries and on six continents, headlining venues such as Madison Square Garden, Wembley Stadium, Glastonbury Festival , and Electric Picnic in Ireland in 2023.
In 2001, Brandon Flowers was fired by his first band, a synth-pop trio known as 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 Vegas from Iowa a year earlier. When the pair met, they bonded over similar musical influences and immediately began writing songs together in Keuning's apartment. They named their band the Killers as that was the name of a fictional band in the music 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 begin recording a demo; they recorded two tracks: "Mr. Brightside", which was 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 would also hand out free copies of their demo. The Killers brought a unique style to the small Vegas music scene which was predominately filled with punk, nu metal, and rap bands; one local reviewer stated, "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". However, the Killers, whose early live sound was also described as erratic, had, by the summer of 2002, fired drummer Matt Norcross and replaced him briefly with Brian Havens, who was also eventually fired. Bassist Dell Neal later left the band due to personal reasons.
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