The Killers

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Rock bands 12865.1
The Killers The Killers The Killers
Artist in the catalog: Stars

Biography The Killers

Formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2002, word soon spread further a field about The Killers.

The American rock band originated in 2001 when lead singer Brandon Flowers was dumped by his first band synthpop trio 'Blush Response' as he refused to move to Los Angeles. After being inspired to start a rock band after seeing Oasis perform live, Flowers responded to a newspaper ad posted by guitarist Dave Keuning and the pair started writing songs, including early versions of 'Mr Brightside, and touring Las Vegas.

Joined by drummer Ronnie Vanucci JR in August 2002 and bass player Mark Stoermer the same year, the line-up as we know it today was formed and 'The Killers', who are named after a fictional band featured on the drums in the music video 'Crystal' by New Order, started touring Las Vegas clubs

The band came to the attention of London-based independent label Lizard King Records, and they made their way over to the UK for their first ever gigs outside of Las Vegas.

They then won Best International Band at the NME awards. Big things were expected from their debut album 'Hot Fuss' featuring the singles 'Somebody Told Me', 'Mr Brightside’' and 'All These Things That I've Done'.

'Hot Fuss' didn't disappoint, the album has topped the charts in the UK where it has already sold over one million copies and it has already sold 2.2 million in the US. As of 2011, 'Hot Fuss' has sold over seven million units worldwide and was the 26th best-selling album of the decade.

Their successful debut was followed by 'Sam's Town' in October 2006, which sold over 706,000 in its first week of release. It spawned hit singles 'When You Were Young', 'Bones', 'Read My Mind' and 'For Reasons Unknown'. The album won two Brit awards in 2007. As of 2011, the album had sold 4.5 million copies worldwide becoming four times platinum in the UK.

The Killers also released a compilation album called 'Sawdust' in November 2007, consisting of B-sides, rarities and previously unreleased material.

In 2008, the band released third album 'Day and Age' before going on tour. This was cancelled in February 2010 after Flowers' mother died after a two-year battle with brain cancer.

Between January 2010 and May 2011, the band were on hiatus after six years of touring, with each member pursuing solo projects.

The Killers' fourth studio album Battle Born was released on September 18, 2012. During recording sessions in the band's own Battle Born Studios, the band worked with producers Steve Lillywhite, Damian Taylor, Brendan O'Brien, Stuart Price and Daniel Lanois. The album was mixed by Alan Moulder, who also worked on the band's first two albums. The album became The Killers' fourth consecutive No. 1 album in the UK and Ireland and has been certified Platinum in the UK and Gold in Ireland, Mexico and Australia.

The band's Battle Born World Tour proved their most widespread yet with the band visiting new territories including Russia & China. On June 22, 2013, the band played their biggest show to date at the 90,000 capacity Wembley Stadium; the band performed a song specifically written for the occasion. Reviews of the show were extremely positive.

The band once again headlined festivals across Europe, Australia, South America & North America. In October 2013 The Killers headlined the inaugural Life Is Beautiful Festival in hometown Las Vegas, concluding their Battle Born World Tour.

2013–present: Direct Hits

On September 11, 2013, the band tweeted a picture, which contained six lines of Morse code. The code was translated to "The Killers Shot At The Night". On September 16, 2013, exactly ten years to the day of their first show in London, the Killers released "Shot At The Night", the first single off of their first greatest hits compilation, Direct Hits, celebrating a decade together as a band and a contractual requirement with their record label. The single was released with a video featuring Bella Heathcote and Max Minghella.

The album was released on November 11, 2013 in a variety of different editions, including an "Uber Deluxe" edition which featured a picture book of the band's history. The second single released was "Just Another Girl". The accompanying video featured Dianna Agron playing Brandon Flowers in various situations that relate to the band's ten year history.

On December 2, 2013, the band continued their yearly tradition of releasing a Christmas single, with the release of "Christmas In LA" (featuring Dawes) for Project Red. The band is scheduled to headline Hangout Festival (2014) for the first time. Gigwise readers voted the Killers the Greatest Live Act of 2013. More than 134,000 votes were cast but the Las Vegas superstars easily came out on top.  The band will perform on May 15, a concert in the event center ofSands Casino Resort Bethlehem. They sold out the tickets in record time. It has been confirmed that The Killers will perform a concert at the Bell Centre in Montreal, July 10. The Killers will also headline V Festival for the fourth time along with influence Bruce Springsteen. The Killers to been confirmed as one of the heads of March Madness Music Festival.