Hot Fuss
The Killer’s multi-platinum debut album, entitled Hot Fuss, left us in awe after hitting the airwaves in June 2004. ‘Mr Brightside’, ‘Somebody Told me’, ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’, ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, it is hard to believe that all of these smash hits came from this one album alone! Mr Brightside, which many critics have noted to be one of the greatest rock songs of the century, happens to be the first song that the band ever wrote. It was written after lead singer Brandon Flowers caught his unfaithful girlfriend in the act. Even though the album went on to reach number one in the UK charts, the Killers actually turned down the offer to headline 2005’s Glastonbury Festival because they allegedly felt that they “didn’t have enough songs.” Anyway, the boys had a change of heart two years later, when they decided to headline the same in 2007.
Day & Age World Tour
The Killer’s 2008 third studio album, Day & Age, reached number one in the UK and Irish charts within weeks of its release. It gave us new singles in Human and Spaceman, and also a 2009 world tour.. The quartet conquered every continent, and also headlined at the Lollapalooza and Coachella Festivals in this same year. Fans across the globe loved the introduction of the band’s latest sound, synth rock mixed with whimsical lyrics, which was very different to what was heard in their earlier 2006 album, Sam’s Town. The tour was the Killer’s biggest tour effort to date, achieving sold-out shows across the world.
Live from the Royal Albert Hall
Within the same Day & Age tour, in the summer of 2009 and over the course of two days, the Killers took over the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The live concert DVD “Live from the Royal Albert Hall” is released. When questioned on the band’s decision to film the show, Brandon was heard to have said, “London’s always been very good to us. They opened their arms to us before anybody else did.” This same DVD went on to be played in movie theatres around the world, and sold enough copies to go Platinum. We have heard that the Killers have a pre-show ritual, “the cuddle”, where the four join together in a circle with feet touching. It’s too bad that this wasn’t caught on tape!
“Wembley Song”
After the June 2012 release of the band’s fourth studio album, Battle Born, the band finally decided to conquer Wembley Stadium. With no surprise, the Killers sold out this 90k capacity venue, making this the best show of their career thus far. Lightning bolts, fireworks, glitter cannons; this show really had all the fire power a rock band needed to make it a success. Commencing with Flowers’ delicate piano playing in the show’s introduction the band then fired into their anthem and felt right at home in this massive stadium. Most impressive was their bespoke song titled ‘Wembley Song’ that was written and performed by the Killers just for this gig. As if this wasn’t cool enough, at the close of the show the band hopped in their vehicles and dashed straight over to Islington’s The Garage club to play a 40-minute set to 800 lucky fans until 2am. Talk about an adrenaline rush.
Glastonbury, 2019
Just last year, on Day 4 of the Pyramid stage, the Killers gave us one of the most memorable performances in Glastonbury Festival history. Fans didn’t know what to think when Frank Sinatra’s Luck Be A Lady came out of the speakers, as Flowers, Keuning, Stoemer, and Vanucci Jr took to the stage. Suddenly, Sinatra’s voice was interrupted by Vanucci Jr drum beats, Flowers then leading the sea of people in Freddie Mercury style call-and-answers ‘woahs’. Finally, the band launched into Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine, and it was a string of major hits from there. The headlining show’s encore was even better than the show itself, as Johnny Marr of the Smiths and the Pet Shop Boys joined for a few more Killer tunes and finally Mr Brightside to close.
As we await the release of Imploding The Mirage, the band’s sixth studio album, we also await the Killer’s biggest ever tour of 2020-21. The boys sold out their initial June Malahide Castle gig so quickly, that they caved in and added a second show, due to the high demand. The Killers were due to play in Malahide Castle on the 16th and 17th June, but since the COVID-19 development the tour has been rescheduled and we are awaiting new dates. If the band’s history of stage performances is anything to go by, this gig is simply not to be missed. Glitter cannons or not, we cannot wait to hear what’s in store from their new album, and always look forward to singing the more classic Killers anthems. On a side note, apparently the band’s favourite steak restaurant is Trocadero in Dublin, so make your table reservations now.
