If you asked the average person on the street, they could probably have their own favourite song from the Las Vegas band. Formed in 2002, Brandon Flowers (lead singer, piano), Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass, backing vocals), Ronnie Vannucci Jr (drums, percussion) are heavily influenced by 1980 iconic bands such as New Order, David Bowie and Joy Division among others. They have gone from strength to strength by selling out venues such as the legendary Royal Albert Hall and headlining festivals all over the world.

Their first album ‘Hot Fuzz’ was released in 2004 after The Killers agreed to sign for UK label Marrakesh records and US label Island records. The album included the singles ‘Mr Brightside’, ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, ‘Somebody Told Me’ and ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’. The album itself has been influenced by 80s rock and is regarded by many as one of the best records of the decade with songs released from ‘Hot Fuzz’ being placed respectfully in the top ten of the best songs of the decade. ‘Mr Brightside’ received the accolade for best song of the decade from Xfm. In 2009, young British artists were brought together to form Young Soul Rebels, covered the song ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ to raise money for the charity War Child Group.

Bouncing from the success from ‘Hot Fuzz’, The Killers released their second album ‘Sam’s Town’ in 2006. The album was not as successful as the first and received mixed reviews. However, ‘Sam’s Town’ includes the singles ‘When You Were Young’, ‘Read my Mind’, ‘Bones’ and ‘For Reasons Unknown’ which are hits in their own right. The self titled song on the record was not released as a single to the annoyance of their fans. By the end of the year, The Killers won Best International Group and Best International Album at the BRIT awards. They also headlined Glastonbury festival in 2007.

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A B-side collection of the band was released in 2007 named ‘Sawdust’. The album saw the release of the single ‘Tranquilize’ and saw the legendary Lou Reed collaborate to create the song. The Killers also cover the songs ‘Shadowplay’ (Joy Division), ‘Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town’ (Kenny Rodgers and The First Edition) and ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (Dire Straits) as a mark of respect for the bands they admire.

2008 saw The Killers release their third album ‘Day & Age’, produced by Stuart Price, includes the singles ‘The World We Live In’, ‘Spaceman’, ‘A Dustland Fairytale’ and the number one classic ‘Human’.

The Killers are heavily linked to the charity group ‘Project Red’ as they have released a Christmas song every year since 2006 with all of the profits going to the charitable organization. The singles include ‘A Great Big Sled’, ‘Don’t Shoot Me Santa’, ‘Joseph, Better You Than Me’ (collaborated with Elton John) and ‘Happy Birthday Guadalupe’.

The accolades keep coming for the American indie band with NME giving them Best International Band for the years 2005, 2008 and 2009 and they have received seven Grammy nominations.

Recently, the Daily Telegraph reported Brandon Flowers hopes The Killers will be bigger than U2 in the future. If they continue to create more number one albums, it looks like that could be the case. 

Albums:

Source: Dean Woodhouse

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This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

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The British synthpop band The Human League is fronted by composer, singer, songwriter and producer Philip Oakey and had their first success in 1981 with 'Sound of the Crowd'. In October 1981 they released the album 'Dare' which reached number 1 in the UK album charts and went double platinum. The year ended with their UK/US number 1 hit 'Don't You Want Me' selling more than 2 million copies.

The rest of the 80s saw the band have peaks and dips. Their 1984 album 'Hysteria' underachieved before 1986 saw them release 'Crash' from which the single 'Human' topped the charts. In 1992 the band's contract was cancelled by Virgin causing Oakey to seek counselling for depression and band member Susan Ann Sulley to have a breakdown. Thanks to the efforts of band member Joanne Catherall 1993 saw the release of gold selling album "Octopus". The Human League still tour across the globe.

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Philip Oakey was seen as a fashion icon by many and his flamboyant style included make-up, high heels, diamante earrings and androgynous clothes.

Human League are touring again.

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com.

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