The Killers Biography

The American rock band the Killers was established by Brandon Flowers in Las Vegas in 2001. After Flowers responded to a local ad, he teamed up with Dave Keuning and the two immediately formed themselves as a musical duo. Flowers and Keuning recorded their first four-track demo shortly after, and began performing around the Las Vegas area alongside additional musicians Matt Norcross and Dell Nell. Eventually, the Killers rounded out their initial lineup with Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci, Jr., and their continued local performances helped them to build a Vegas-based following.

Very quickly, the Killers garnered the attention of producers and managers, and they embarked on a trip to California to begin work on a more polished and expanded demo. Ironically, the demo did not catch the attention of Americn-based labels, but instead brought the Killers to the attention of UK-based label, which resulted in a number of performances in London. The buzz in the UK resulted in a resurgence of interest in the United States, and finally the Killers signed with Island Def Jam in 2004.

Since then, the Killers have released the albums Hot Fuss (2004), Sam’s Town (2006), Day & Age (2008), and Battle Born (2012.) The albums have spawned the hit mainstream and alternative singles “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me,” “All These Things That I’ve Done,” “When You Were Young,” “Bones,” “Read My Mind,” “Shadowplay,” “Human,” “Spaceman,” “Runaways,” and “Miss Atomic Bomb.” The Killers have been recognized with innumerous industry awards and accolades, including seven Grammy nominations and the BRIT Award for Best International Band.  The Killers have also won five NME Awards in the categories of Best International Band and Best Video. The album Hot Fuss was ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the Best Albums of the Year, and Sam’s Town was also voted by the magazine as the Most Underrated Album of the Decade.

The Killers continues to perform and record with its original lineup of Flowers, Keuning, Stoermer, and Vannucci, Jr. intact. To date, the Killers has accumulated record sales exceeding seventeen million worldwide.