Bright lights and high hopes have always been a part of the scenery for Sin City success story the Killers, but in 2004, the band saw the spotlight pivot in its direction.
Following a hectic year that included a lengthy tour behind their debut album, Hot Fuss, the Killers have just a few more stops to make before beginning the cycle all over again with a new album.
After just over two years of playing together, the Killers hit the jackpot in 2004, winning fans across the globe with their new-wave-inspired indie rock. Their fresh sound won them throngs of British fans before they were even a stylish glimmer in the eyes of finicky American audiences (see "Las Vegas' Killers Hit The Jackpot After Brits Make A Fuss").
"[Americans] wait for an entire scene to start," lead singer Brandon Flowers explained. "It's weird. If you look at everything since Nirvana started the grunge scene, and then you weren't going to get signed after that unless you were grunge. Now there's a scene coming up with us too and we're just ..."
"Part of the scene," drummer Ronnie Vannucci finished.
That scene, which bassist Mark Stoermer pinpoints as people dancing to guitar-based rock, exploded in 2004 with the aid of bands like Franz Ferdinand and helped ignite the Killers' popularity.
"Right now, people are dancing to music with guitars," Stoermer said. "I think it's a good thing. Kids have been dancing to rock music in the last couple years in the small clubs all over the world. Now it's like coming out as mainstream a little more. And that's a good thing."
Last year saw the Killers embark on a massive tour, perform on FOX's "The O.C.," shoot videos for their first two singles, "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr. Brightside," and receive a nomination for the coveted Shortlist Prize.
This year, the Killers will have the chance to take a brief break before heading into the studio to record their second album. The first two months of 2005, however, will be a testament to the stamina you'd expect in a band from the Killers' hectic town.
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More on this and other "TRL" Breakout Stars | |
The Killers were the musical guests on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on Saturday, with Topher Grace hosting. They will perform during "Total Request Live"'s "Breakout Stars Week" on Tuesday, and the following day they will kick off a headlining tour of the U.K. for British music magazine NME.
When they return, the Killers will perform at the 47th annual Grammy Awards, where they are nominated for Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by Duo or Group.
This past August, when the band's popularity was beginning to tip, the Killers questioned whether they had achieved what they defined as success.
"I don't feel like we've achieved success," Vannucci said. "I don't think success is really having an album out so much as surviving that whole buzz thing."
"I guess we have to keep doing it and survive the buzz," Flowers said. "There are so many people that complain about bands with buzz and don't like you because of it. I think this album proves itself and survives the buzz."
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