The Killers are an American rock band formed in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and

Dave Keuning David Brent Keuning (born March 28, 1976) is an American musician, best known for being the lead guitarist of the rock band The Killers, which he founded alongside frontman Brandon Flowers in 2001 and with whom he has recorded six studio albums. ...

(lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bassists and drummers, Mark Stoermer (bass, rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion) joined in 2002. The Killers have released seven studio albums, each of which topped the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

: '' Hot Fuss'' (2004), '' Sam's Town'' (2006), '' Day & Age'' (2008), '' Battle Born'' (2012), '' Wonderful Wonderful'' (2017), '' Imploding the Mirage'' (2020), and '' Pressure Machine'' (2021). They have also released a B-sides and rarities compilation, '' Sawdust'' (2007); a live album, '' Live from the Royal Albert Hall'' (2009); two greatest-hits albums, '' Direct Hits'' (2013) and '' Rebel Diamonds'' (2023); and a Christmas compilation, '' Don't Waste Your Wishes'' (2016). 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 Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

(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 Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

trio called Blush Response. After attending an

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentHard 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

, a 25-year-old guitarist who had moved to Las Vegas from

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

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 A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

". 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 Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...

, 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. Bassist Dell 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 Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

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." Killerslogo

While walking through a

Virgin Megastore Virgin Megastores is an international entertainment retailing chain, founded in early 1976 by Richard Branson as a record shop on London's Oxford Street. In 1979 the company opened their first Megastore at the end of Oxford Street and Tottenh ...

in Las Vegas in 2002, Flowers noticed the album artwork on the then-new

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

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.Video '
Music Live Series with The Killers
"'', accessed on 13 September 2020 20:26:40 UTC 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 The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

(where Vannucci was studying classical percussion) 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 (later renamed Tramps). 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 Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

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. But the band caught the eye of Alex Gilbert, an A&R rep from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. 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 the British label in July 2003.

2003–2005: ''Hot Fuss''

On August 19, 2003, the song " Mr. Brightside" premiered on DJ

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

show in the UK. 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 ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' 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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. They eventually signed with the record label

Island Def Jam Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American record label group formed on December 31, 1998, by Universal Music Group. Before 2014, IDJMG encompassed labels originally established under the umbrella of Island Records and Def Jam Recording ...

. 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 Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...

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 Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. The track listing differed depending on territory, in the UK and Australia "Glamorous Indie Rock and 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 The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

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 and certified

Diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

. 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 The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

with ''Hot Fuss'' being nominated for Best Rock Album. In the UK, they picked up an NME Award for Best International Band. The band was recognized by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' as the "best-selling new rock band of the past year" in June 2005. Lead singer Brandon Flowers had also gained media attention, being named both Sexiest and Best Dressed Man at the

NME Awards The ''NME'' Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine ''NME'' (''New Musical Express''). The first awards show was held in 1953 as the ''NME'' Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding o ...

, 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 Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 2005 ...

concert, playing "All These Things That I've Done".

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

incorporated the song's refrain "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" into his own performance.

Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...

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.

2006–2007: ''Sam's Town'' and ''Sawdust''

Shortly after finishing touring for Hot Fuss, the Killers headed back into the studio to start recording their second studio album with producers Alan Moulder and

Flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...

, who were working together for the first time in a decade. ''Sam's Town'' was mostly recorded at Studio at the Palms in

, with finishing touches added to the album at Criterion Studios, London in June 2006. Upon completion of the album, Flowers claimed he felt the band had made "one of the best albums of the past twenty years" and that he wanted the album to capture "everything important that got me to where I am today". In July 2006, the lead single " When You Were Young" was premiered and it became a hit, gaining another two Grammy Award nominations and mostly positive reviews with many bringing attention to the influence of heartland rock on the song. The Killers in concert

The Killers' second album, '' Sam's Town'', was released in October 2006 under Island Def Jam Music Group. It received a varied response with some critics praising the album and the evolution of the band and others criticizing and mocking it, most notably it received a scathing review from ''

''. The album sold over 706,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, reaching number two on the US

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

chart and number one on the UK chart. The album has since been certified 5× Platinum in the United Kingdom; 4× Platinum in Ireland; 2× Platinum in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand; Platinum in the United States and Gold in Argentina, Belgium, Germany, and Russia. The Killers recorded a live session at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

for '' Live from Abbey Road'' on November 29, 2006. They performed an almost totally unplugged set, which included stripped back versions of the album's title track "Sam's Town", "When You Were Young" and a rendition of the

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums, percussion). Th ...

hit "

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

". In December 2006, the band released a Christmas charity song, " A Great Big Sled", which benefited Product Red. This has since become an annual tradition. In February 2007, the Killers attended the BRIT Awards in the United Kingdom, where they performed "When You Were Young". The band won two awards — Best International Group & International Album. In the same month, the band's

Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...

-directed video for the album's second single, " Bones", won Best Video at the

. The band recorded the video for the album's third single " Read My Mind" in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

during a break in their Sam's Town Tour. The single release was accompanied by a remix of the song by the

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

. Due to high ticket demand, the Killers began headlining arenas including

for the first time and also headlined a number of major European festivals during 2007, including

. , the Killers have sold 5.3 million copies of both ''Hot Fuss'' and ''Sam's Town''. The band released a compilation album called '' Sawdust'', containing B-sides from the band's first two albums, rarities, and unreleased material in November 2007. ''Sawdust'' has been classified Platinum in the UK. The album's first single " Tranquilize", a collaboration with

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

, was released in October 2007. The album also featured a cover of " Shadowplay" by

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

which was recorded for the soundtrack to the Anton Corbijn directed biopic '' Control''.

2007–2011: ''Day & Age'' and hiatus

The band enlisted Stuart Price to produce their third studio album, he had previously remixed their songs under his ''Jacques Lu Cont'' moniker, the most notable being the remix of "Mr. Brightside". They first met Price at his London home in 2007 to discuss the possibility of him producing some unreleased tracks for their b-sides album Sawdust, however that same night they ended up in Price's home studio recording a demo of "

Human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

" a new song that would become the eventual lead single from ''Day & Age''. The band took six months apart following the completion of their Sam's Town tour, during this period they would send song ideas between each other and Price via Logic Pro. The band finished recording the album with Price at the band's newly acquired Battle Born Studios in Las Vegas. "Human" was released in October 2008 with Flowers describing the song as "

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

meets the Pet Shop Boys". The song became a hit worldwide. The lyric "Are we human, or are we dancer?" confused listeners, due to its grammar and ambiguity. Flowers explained that the line was inspired by a Hunter S. Thompson quote where he stated America was raising "a generation of dancers". It has since been voted by one poll as the most confusing song lyric of all time. The Killers' third album, '' Day & Age'', was released on November 18, 2008. Flowers stated that ''Day & Age'' was "like looking at Sam's Town from Mars", the band have called it their "most playful record" with the album making use of

saxophones The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

, steel drums,

harpsichord A harpsichord is a musical instrument played by means of a musical keyboard, keyboard. Depressing a key raises its back end within the instrument, which in turn raises a mechanism with a small plectrum made from quill or plastic that plucks one ...

, and tribal chanting. The album also saw the band write some of their most personal and challenging lyrics to date. Closing track "Goodnight, Travel Well" was written about the death of Keuning's mother, while " A Dustland Fairytale" was written as a tribute to frontman Flowers' parents, his mother had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. ''Day & Age'' became the band's third studio album to reach number one in both the UK and Ireland, it reached number six on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. It has also been certified 4× Platinum in the UK and Ireland, Platinum in Germany, Australia, New Zealand and Canada and Gold in the US, Mexico, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and the Middle East. The band embarked on the Day & Age World Tour, during which they performed on every continent and headlined US festivals

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

and

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

for the first time. The tour was named one of the top 50 worldwide concert tours of 2009. On July 5–6, 2009 at the Royal Albert Hall, London the Killers recorded their first live DVD, '' Live from the Royal Albert Hall''. It was released in November and played at various cinemas across the globe. ''Live from the Royal Albert Hall'' was certified 2× Platinum in the UK, Platinum in the US and Australia and Gold in Ireland and Brazil. In January 2010, the band announced that they would take a short break after being on the road for the better part of six years. The break lasted for about a year and a half, during which band members devoted themselves on solo projects, while the band made sporadic other contributions. In late February 2010, Flowers' mother died from brain cancer. This resulted in the cancellation of dates in Asia. Two Australian dates in Sydney and Perth were also cancelled; however, both the Gold Coast and Melbourne concerts went ahead, with the Day & Age tour finally coming to a close in Melbourne on February 21 when the Killers were the headline act of the Good Vibrations Festival at Flemington Racecourse.

2011–2016: Return, ''Battle Born'' and ''Direct Hits''

The band returned to the stage in 2011 when they headlined the new International

Festival in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

on April 2, 2011. They also performed at the season closing Top of the Mountain concert in

Ischgl Ischgl () is a town in the Paznaun valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol. Its ski resort is connected with that of Samnaun across the border in Switzerland to form one of the largest in the Alps. Ischgl was a major hotspot in 2020 of the COVID-19 ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

on April 30, 2011. They headlined Hard Rock Calling for the second time in

Hyde Park, London Hyde Park is a , historic Listed building#Heritage protection, Grade I-listed urban park in Westminster, Greater London. A Royal Parks of London, Royal Park, it is the largest of the parks and green spaces that form a chain from Kensington P ...

on June 24, 2011. The Killers were also the inaugural headliner of the new Orlando Calling Festival in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

on November 12, 2011. The band headed back into the studio to record their fourth studio album in 2011, during the recording they worked with five producers

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...

, Damian Taylor, Brendan O'Brien, Stuart Price and

Daniel Lanois Daniel Roland Lanois ( , ; born September 19, 1951) is a Canadian record producer and musician. He has produced albums by artists including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and Harold Budd ...

. In June 2012, a short trailer was released on the Killers

VEVO Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

page, revealing the album's name '' Battle Born'', named after the flag of Nevada. This was followed by the release of lead single " Runaways" in July. That same month, they headlined Saturday night at the inaugural Firefly Music Festival in

Dover, Delaware Dover ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and the List of municipalities in Delaware, second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, Delaware, Kent County and the princ ...

. The Killers' fourth studio album '' Battle Born'' was released on September 18, 2012. 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 was their most widespread yet, with the band visiting new territories including Russia and China. The tour was named the 43rd highest grossing worldwide during 2013. On June 22, 2013, the band played their biggest show to date at the 90,000 capacity

; the band performed a song specifically written for the occasion. Reviews of the show were 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. On September 11, 2013, the band tweeted a picture, which contained six lines of

Morse code Morse code is a telecommunications method which Character encoding, encodes Written language, text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code i ...

. 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" which was produced by Anthony Gonzalez. It was also revealed that they would be releasing their first greatest hits compilation, '' Direct Hits'' released on November 11, 2013. The album featured songs from all four studio albums, the new single "Shot at the Night" and another new song " Just Another Girl". The release of ''Direct Hits'' was followed by a short promotional tour, the band also played a number of festivals in 2014. The band headlined the opening night of the new

T-Mobile Arena T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International ...

on the

Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas city limits ...

on April 6, 2016, the band were joined during their set by a number of guests including "Mr. Las Vegas"

Wayne Newton Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942), also known as Mr. Las Vegas, is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the United States from the mid-to-late 20th century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in ...

and the

Blue Man Group Blue Man Group is an American performance art company formed in New York City in 1987. It is known for its stage productions that incorporate many kinds of music and art, both popular and obscure. Its performers, known as Blue Men, have their ...

. On May 24, 2016, the band announced that Mark Stoermer was taking a break from touring, In Stoermer's absence touring keyboardist/guitarist Jake Blanton moved to bass guitar. On September 30 and October 1, 2016, the band (including Stoermer) celebrated the tenth anniversary of their second album, ''Sam's Town'', by playing two nights at the Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, which the album was named after. For these shows, they played the album in full from start to finish. The band contributed a track titled "Mixed Signals" to

' eleventh studio album, ''

The Heavy Entertainment Show ''The Heavy Entertainment Show'' is the eleventh studio album by English recording artist Robbie Williams. It was released on 4 November 2016 through Columbia Records. It features guest appearances from Rufus Wainwright and John Grant. The alb ...

'', released in November 2016.

2017–2018: ''Wonderful Wonderful''

The Killers released their fifth studio album, ''Wonderful Wonderful'', on September 22, 2017. The album was produced by Jacknife Lee and lead single " The Man" was released on June 14, 2017. Before the album's release the band headed to Europe for a number of summer festival dates, including an unannounced set at Glastonbury Festival, where Stoermer joined them to perform on the John Peel Stage, the same stage they had performed on during their first appearance at the festival 13 years earlier. The run of shows concluded with a sold-out headline performance at the British Summer Time festival in London's Hyde Park. KillersBrixton120917-47

On August 6, 2017, it was announced that Dave Keuning was going on an indefinite hiatus from the band, citing exhaustion from a grueling tour schedule and a desire to spend more time with his son. The Killers released a statement on August 28, 2017, confirming that neither Stoermer nor Keuning would participate in the band's upcoming Wonderful Wonderful World Tour, while reiterating that both are still members of the band. Jake Blanton would continue to fill in for Stoermer while touring guitarist/keyboardist Ted Sablay would fill in for Keuning. The band added another two touring musicians: keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Robbie Connolly and rhythm/lead guitarist Taylor Milne, a member of Big Talk, Vannucci's project. The band headlined the

2017 AFL Grand Final The 2017 AFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Adelaide Football Club and the Richmond Football Club at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 30 September 2017. It was the 122nd annual grand final of the Austral ...

in Melbourne, Australia, on September 30, 2017. Following the conclusion of the game, the band also headlined a free concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and earned praise for their performance. They also welcomed onstage Jack Riewoldt, a fan and a vice-captain of the Richmond side that had been victorious against

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

in the Grand Final, to perform "Mr. Brightside" with them. ''Wonderful Wonderful'' became the band's first album to reach the number one spot on the US ''Billboard'' 200; it also claimed the top spot on the UK Album Chart, making the Killers the first international act to have their first five studio albums reach number one in the UK. In May 2018, Flowers told the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...

'' that he wanted to make another album with the band. In October 2018, guitarist Dave Keuning told ''NME'' that the band was in the early stages of the next album, though he wasn't sure how big a role he would have in its creation process. On January 14, 2019, the band released the standalone track, "Land of the Free", the official music video for which was directed by

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

. It was announced that the Killers would be performing at Woodstock 50, though Woodstock 50 was canceled after a series of permit and production issues, venue relocations, and artist cancellations.

2019–2021: ''Imploding the Mirage'', ''Pressure Machine'' and Keuning's return

On November 15, 2019, the Killers announced their 6th studio album titled '' Imploding the Mirage'' for a Spring 2020 release. On that day, the band also announced a UK and Ireland stadium tour to take place in May and June 2020. On March 12, 2020, the album's lead single " Caution" was released featuring a solo by

Lindsey Buckingham Lindsey Adams Buckingham (born October 3, 1949) is an American musician, record producer, and the lead guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the Rock music, rock band Fleetwood Mac from 1975 to 1987 and 1997 to 2018. In addition to his tenure with ...

. Lindsey Buckingham said of the band, "There's such a strong center to what they're doing. Their material is so well crafted that it cuts across a lot of generational lines." It was also confirmed by Flowers that Keuning did not participate in recording the album and that he will still not be touring with the band. On April 25, 2020, "Caution" reached number one on ''Billboard''s

Alternative Songs Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks between 1988 and 2009, and Alternative Songs between 2009 and 2020) is a music chart published in the American magazine ''Billboard'' since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-play ...

chart, setting a record of 13 years and 6 months since the band's last number-one song on the chart. In an interview with ''

'' published on May 5, 2020, Flowers and Vannucci stated that while Keuning is on hiatus from the band and that they had difficulties in working on the new album without him, he is still welcome to return to the Killers. They also stated that although Stoermer's role in the band continues to be limited due to pyro-inflicted hearing damage suffered during a past show in London, he is still close with Flowers and Vannucci, was involved in the recording of the album, and is expected to play select live shows once touring resumes. On July 15, 2020, the band released the music video of their new album second single " My Own Soul's Warning" and stated the album would be released on August 21, 2020. On the weekend of ''Imploding the Mirages release, Flowers revealed that the band was currently in the studio working on their seventh studio album: "You know when someone makes a record and they say that they have fifty songs and they're going to release another record? Well, we really are! We're going to release another one in about ten months. We've already gone back into the studio with roducers Jonathan Rado and Shawn verett I'm excited. It might be better than 'Imploding the Mirage''" The band revealed in 22 December a provisional "A-List" of "apparent song titles on social media, sparking speculation that another new album could be on the way". In January 2021, Dave Keuning reunited with the band in the studio to record their 7th album. Keuning also said that he and Mark Stoermer are open to playing live with the band. During a podcast interview in June, Vannucci revealed that the album would be released in August. Earlier in 2021, the band moved performance rights management from ASCAP to

Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American businessman, who is chairman of Full Stop Management, a company that represents recording artists. During the course of his career, he has worked as an agent, personal manager, concert pr ...

-owned performance rights organization Global Music Rights. On June 10, 2021

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

announced an upcoming collaboration with the Killers. Later that day the Killers' social media announced the remake of " A Dustland Fairytale" retitled "Dustland" after a series of teases by the band throughout the day. As it was announced on July 19, 2021, the band's seventh album, entitled '' Pressure Machine'', was released on August 13, 2021. Mark Stoermer remained absent due to difficulties presented by the COVID-19 Pandemic during recording and did not make it to the studio. ''Pressure Machine'' debuted at No. 1. on the Official U.K. Albums Chart, snagging the band's seventh U.K. No. 1.

2021–present: Aborted eighth album, ''Rebel Diamonds'', and "Bright Lights"

In June 2021, Keuning confirmed that the band had begun working on their eighth album, for which Flowers alluded to an early 2023 release in July 2022. In March 2022, the band released a deluxe edition of ''Pressure Machine''. The next month they kicked off their Imploding the Mirage tour with three nights at the Chelsea Ballroom in the

Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (commonly referred to simply as The Cosmopolitan or The Cosmo) is a resort casino and hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is owned by The Blackstone Group, Stonepeak Partners, and Cherng Family Tru ...

. Bassist Mark Stoermer was still absent, his part covered on tour by Jake Blanton, but Stoermer was reportedly interested in recording the band's next album, their eighth. On July 8, 2022, the band unveiled their upcoming single "Boy" during their performance at Mad Cool Festival in Madrid. The song was written during the ''Pressure Machine'' recording sessions but didn't fit the album's aesthetic. During an interview with ''NME'' Flowers confirmed they have been working on their eighth album, stating there would be more single releases in 2022 leading to the album's release early 2023. On August 15, 2023, the band performed at the Black Sea Arena in Shekvetili,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. During a performance of the song " For Reasons Unknown", the band attracted controversy as they invited a fan, who happened to be Russian, from the crowd on stage to help them perform the song. This was followed by booing by some parts of the crowd. The band's lead singer Brandon Flowers tried to defuse the tensions by saying that all Killers fans are "brothers and sisters". Some parts of the audience left in protest. The band later shared an apology on their social media, saying that they did not want to insult anyone and their message about friendship was misconstrued amid the political tensions between Russia and Georgia and the occupation of Georgian territories by Russia. Later that month, Flowers confirmed that the eighth album had been scrapped due to his dissatisfaction with its direction, stating "I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music any more." On December 8, 2023, the band released its second greatest hits compilation, '' Rebel Diamonds'', which included three songs from the aborted eighth studio album: "Boy", "Your Side of Town" and "Spirit". On December 25, the band previewed a fourth new song, named "We Did It in the Name of Love," which remained otherwise unreleased. The_Killers_in_Sydney

In August 2024, the original four-piece of Flowers, Keuning, Stoermer, and Vannucci Jr. reunited for a ten-night

concert residency at

The Colosseum at Caesars Palace The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is a theatre, theater located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States. It is the main entertainment venue for Caesars Palace. The venue opened in 2003 and has an estimated seating capacity of 4,10 ...

, celebrating the 20th anniversary of ''Hot Fuss''. The reunited line-up performed the album in full each night, and recorded a brand new song, "Bright Lights", to coincide with the residency. The song was the first to feature all four core members since 2017.

Musical style and influences

The Killers have been grouped with various genres, including

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

post-punk revival Post-punk revival (also known as indie rock revival) is a Music genre, subgenre or movement of indie rock that emerged in the early 2000s as a stripped-down and back-to-basics version of Guitar-rock, guitar rock inspired by the original sounds a ...

, new wave, heartland rock,Multiple sources: * * *

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

, pop,

glam rock Glam rock is a style of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom in the early 1970s and was primarily defined by the flamboyant clothing, makeup, and hairstyles of its musicians, particularly platform shoes and glitter. Glam artists d ...

dance-rock Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and dis ...

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...

, and electronic rock. Keuning's original newspaper ad sought to assemble a band influenced by

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also simply known as Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band formed in Chicago in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist James Iha, bassist D'arcy Wretzky and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. The ...

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

and

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon-on-Thames, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band members are Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Gre ...

. Band members have also cited influences including

, U2,

the Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...

the Cars The Cars were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1976. Emerging from the New wave music, new wave Subculture, scene in the late 1970s, they consisted of Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (l ...

and

the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...

, along with the electronic bands

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980. Originally formed with the line-up of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher (musician), Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, the band currently consists ...

, New Order and OMD.

Solo projects

* Brandon Flowers has released two solo albums: '' Flamingo'' (2010) and '' The Desired Effect'' (2015). * Mark Stoermer has released three solo albums: '' Another Life'' (2011), '' Dark Arts'' (2016) and ''Filthy Apes and Lions'' (2017). * Ronnie Vannucci Jr.'s side project, Big Talk, has released two albums: '' Big Talk'' (2011) and '' Straight In No Kissin''' (2015). *

has released two solo albums: '' Prismism'' (2019) and ''A Mild Case of Everything'' (2021).

Activism and philanthropy

Political relations

Invited by U.S. President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, the band played on the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

South Lawn on July 4, 2010, for the second annual "Salute to the Military"

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

concert as part of

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

celebrations, which Flowers described as a "monumental honor". Despite their hiatus, the band got together to play "Human", "Somebody Told Me", "Mr. Brightside", "A Dustland Fairytale", "God Bless America/Read My Mind" and "When You Were Young". Flowers, Keuning and Stoermer also played at a campaign rally on July 8, 2010, in Nevada for Obama and U.S. Senate Majority Leader

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2 ...

who was up for re-election. The Killers played an acoustic version of "Read My Mind" and did a folksy rendition of the state song, "

Home Means Nevada "Home Means Nevada" is the state anthem of the U.S. state of Nevada. It was written by Bertha Raffetto in 1932 and officially adopted by the Nevada Legislature in 1933 as the official List of U.S. state songs, state song. Lyrics Way out in the l ...

". In February 2011, Flowers had a private lunch with

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

during Romney's visit to the Republican Party convention in Nevada. In 2012, the band remained neutral in the

election An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative d ...

. In 2015, Flowers performed a folksy rendition of the state song, "

" for Obama and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid at the National Clean Energy Summit. In 2017 the band wrote a letter opposing development on the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. "Land of the Free" references a number of political issues, including immigration, gun control, and police killings of African Americans.

Annual Christmas singles and ''Don't Waste Your Wishes''

Beginning in 2006, the Killers released annual Christmas themed singles and videos in aid of the charity Product Red, supporting The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The band released ten Christmas themed songs and music videos as singles: " A Great Big Sled" (2006), " Don't Shoot Me Santa" (2007), " Joseph, Better You than Me" (2008), " Happy Birthday Guadalupe!" (2009), "

Boots A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

" (2010), " The Cowboys' Christmas Ball" (2011), " I Feel It in My Bones" (2012), " Christmas In LA" (2013), " Joel the Lump of Coal" (2014), and " Dirt Sledding" (2015). On November 30, 2011, they released the '' (RED) Christmas EP'' on iTunes which features all six songs that had been released up to that point. Over the years they have enlisted the help of other musicians and celebrities including

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

Neil Tennant Neil Francis Tennant (born 10 July 1954) is an English singer, songwriter and music journalist, and co-founder of the synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys, which he formed with Chris Lowe in 1981. He was a journalist for '' Smash Hits'', and assist ...

(Pet Shop Boys), Toni Halliday (Curve), Wild Light, Mariachi El Bronx, Dawes, Owen Wilson,

Jimmy Kimmel James Christian Kimmel (born November 13, 1967), known professionally as Jimmy Kimmel, is an American television host, comedian, writer, voice actor, and producer. He has been the host and executive producer of '' Jimmy Kimmel Live!'', a late-n ...

Richard Dreyfuss Richard Stephen Dreyfuss ( ; Dreyfus; born October 29, 1947) is an American actor. He emerged from the New Hollywood wave of American cinema, finding fame with a succession of leading man parts in the 1970s. He has received an Academy Award, a ...

. In 2016, they announced that they would not be releasing any more Christmas singles, but that they hoped another band would carry on the tradition. On November 18th, 2016, the band released a compilation album '' Don't Waste Your Wishes,'' which featured all ten previous singles, plus a cover of the holiday classic " I'll Be Home for Christmas", which featured vocals from Brandon Flowers' former

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

teacher and

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

veteran Ned Humphrey Hansen. All proceeds from the songs and the compilation album have been and will be donated to Product Red campaign and the fight against AIDS in Africa and they have raised over $1 million for the charity.

Additional contributions

The Killers song " Goodnight, Travel Well" was used in an effort to promote awareness for

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Se ...

headed by

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, MTV EXIT (End Exploitation And Trafficking), and the US Agency for International Development. " Hotel California" was covered by the Killers and Rhythms del Mundo with proceeds benefiting climate crisis and natural disaster relief. The U2 song " Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" was covered by the Killers with proceeds benefiting famine-stricken areas. The band headlined the 2017 Global Citizen Festival.

Band members

Official members

Current members * Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards, synthesizer (2001–present), bass (2001, 2006), guitar (2020–present; in studio) *

– guitar, backing vocals (2001–2017, 2020–present) * Ronnie Vannucci Jr. – drums, percussion (2002–present), guitar (2020–2022) * Mark Stoermer – bass, backing vocals (2002–present; hiatus 2020–2022), guitar (2006, 2016–2020)

Touring musicians

Current touring musicians * Ted Sablay – lead guitar (2017–2020, 2022–present), rhythm guitar, keyboards (2006–2007, 2011–2017, 2020–2022), backing vocals (2006–2007, 2011–present) * Jake Blanton – bass (2013, 2016–present), keyboards, rhythm guitar (2011–2016), backing vocals (2011–present) * Robbie Connolly – keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2017–present) * Taylor Milne – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2017–2020, 2022–present) * Erica Canales – backing vocals (2018–present) * Nicky Egan – backing vocals, acoustic guitar (2023–present) * Miranda Joan – backing vocals (2023–present)

Discography

;Studio albums * '' Hot Fuss'' (2004) * '' Sam's Town'' (2006) * '' Day & Age'' (2008) * '' Battle Born'' (2012) * '' Wonderful Wonderful'' (2017) * '' Imploding the Mirage'' (2020) * '' Pressure Machine'' (2021)

Awards and nominations

The Killers have been nominated for seven

, seven BRIT Awards, and twenty-four

. They are also the recipients of the ASCAP Vanguard Award (2010). The Killers have won four

for "Best International Band", in 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2013. The band has won a BRIT Award for "Best International Band" in 2007 as well as a MTV Europe Music Award for "Best Rock Group" in 2006. Also in 2006, the band won for "Best Video" for "When You Were Young" at the Q Awards. To date, the band has received six nominations for "Best International Band" at the

, four nominations for "Best International Group" at the BRIT Awards, and three nominations for "Best Rock Group" at the

MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...

Sales and streaming accolades

* The Killers are the only international act to have a seven-album streak of No. 1 albums, from their debut, on the

(Brandon Flowers has another two No. 1 solo albums). Their compilation album '' Rebel Diamonds'' also reached No. 1. * Single "Mr. Brightside" is the No. 3 biggest song of all time in the UK, the No. 1 biggest song of all time that did not top the UK Singles Chart, the longest-charting single on the UK Singles Chart of all time (408 weeks), and the most-streamed track released prior to 2010 in the UK. * ''Hot Fuss'' charted in the year-end

each year from 2004 to 2009 and ranks among the top 20 longest-charting albums on the UK Albums Chart. * ''Sam's Town'' charted in the year-end UK Albums Chart each year from 2006 to 2009 and has spent more than two years on the UK Albums Chart.

Additional honors

* University of Nevada, Las Vegas College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame Inductee (2008)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Killers, The 2001 establishments in Nevada Alternative rock groups from Nevada American musical quartets Brit Award winners Island Records artists Mercury Records artists MTV Europe Music Award winners Musical groups established in 2001 Musical groups from Las Vegas NME Awards winners American post-punk revival music groups Vertigo Records artists World Music Awards winners