X-clusive: The Killers Prepare To Slay The World

added 09 March 2004 at 17.45

With the master copy hot off the press, Brandon Flowers of Las Vegas hopefuls The Killers stopped pumping out 80s pop influenced rock for 30 seconds to chat x-clusively to Xfm Online about the bands new single 'Somebody Told Me' and their hotly-anticipated album.

"Our main selling point really is that we are the greatest band ever to have come out of Las Vegas" lead Killer Brandon Flowers explains matter-of-factly. An arrogant claim one may think, until he's pushed for justification. "In the 80s there was a hair metal band called Slaughter and Toni Basil [of 'Hey Mickey' fame] also came from Vegas, but we have all of them beat hands down." OK, fair point.

The Killers 1 Xfm 0

"The new single is predominantly a pop song, but it has a little more grit behind it. It's our most 'Las Vegas' song; it's the sound that really tells people where we come from - its got that sound of the city and the strip clubs."

After two singles and a venue destroying series of tours (both in pole position and more recently supporting fellow Americans, Stellastarr*), the band retired to the studio to complete their debut album.

"The new album will be eleven tracks long and is going to be called 'Hot Fuss'. It'll come out June 7 and we'll then follow the latest single with a re-released version of our debut single 'Mr Brightside'."

When it comes to the band's influences, Flowers talks happily about his heroes and idols but is confident that his band absorb their influences easily but always spit out something that is undoubtedly The Killers.   

"We love all the Iggy Pop records as well as Duran Duran, The Stones, The Smiths and U2, and all of these bands go into our sound either consciously or sub-consciously. All their frontmen influenced me as well: Jagger, Morrisey, even Simon Le Bon.

"We like to put on a good show and we really enjoy playing our own songs. We don't just stand around either - we're definitely not into the whole shoe-gazing thing. I get excited, I guess. Sometimes I can't believe these are our songs we're playing."

The album 'Hot Fuss' is released June 7 while 'Somebody Told Me' is released as a single this week.

Tickets for the band's current tour are available from the Xfm Xchange on 0870 121 1049 and online from the Xfm Live Gig Guide by clicking here.

  • Rescue Rooms, Nottingham (March 10)
  • University Fez Club, Sheffield (11)
  • Barfly, Cardiff (12)
  • Moles Club, Bath (13)

 

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