The Killers

The success of "Mr. Brightside" in 2003 not only launched the Killers as one of America's biggest new bands, it promised that the 21st Century was going to be full of decadent fun. An antidote to the heavy sounds and moods of the grunge era, the Killers wear their status proudly as the biggest rock band ever to come out of Las Vegas-and like their hometown, their music reveled in cheap thrills. The Killers' English-inspired sound was no accident; They took their name from a fake band in a New Order video, but their real musical influences go back further to Queen, Mott the Hoople and Bowie. Lead singer Brandon Flowers also copped his flashy fashion sense from that era, and had an unsuccessful stint leading a Vegas synth-pop band before teaming with guitarist Dave Keuning to form the first Killers lineup. After a couple false starts they settled on drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and bassist Mark Stoermer, who'd been playing lead guitar in a prog band. One of a few demos to come out of their first sessions, "Mr. Brightside" became the breakout track, getting airplay in the UK and helping create a buzz at the CMJ convention in late 2003. A re-recorded version was also the lead single of their Island/Def Jam debut Hot Fuss the following year. With solid followups in "Somebody Told Me" and "Smile Like You Mean It," the album went triple platinum and made the Killers instant stars. The closest thing to a false step was the follow-up album, Sam's Town, a grandiose epic based on their hometown. While some critics slagged the band's newfound ambition, it too went platinum and spawned multiple singles including the chart-topper "When You Were Young." The period between albums saw a change in Flowers who got married, became a teetotaler and returned to his family's Mormon faith. The band also developed a social conscience, launching an annual tradition of Christmas singles in 2006, with all proceeds going to fight worldwide AIDS and malaria. The 2007 single "Human" returned the band to its glammy synth-pop roots, propelled their third album Day & Age into the Top Ten, and found them headlining both Lollapalooza and Coachella. The band took its first extended break afterward, with Flowers making a solo album and Keuning spending time with his family. They reconvened in 2011 for Battle Born, which had more big-name producers than there were bandmembers. The album's arena-friendly sound earned U2 and Springsteen comparisons, and the second single "Miss Atomic Bomb" topped Rolling Stone magazine's poll as the best song of 2012. The Killers began work on their fifth album in late 2015, with U2/R.E.M. producer Jackknife Lee. That album, Wonderful Wonderful, was released in September 2017.