The Killers

From Humble Beginnings to Grammy Nominations

In the beginning they were a bell hop, a Banana Republic sales associate, a pedicab driver and a medical courier just trying to get by in the “hot” city of Las Vegas. Today, the band that became The Killers has released two hit albums since 2004 and their hit song, “When You Were Young,” off their latest album Sam’s Town, received two Grammy nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Short Form Music Video.

After a couple of struggling years practicing in a garage in Las Vegas that would reach temperatures over 100 degrees and sneaking into UNLV’s music hall, The Killers, released their first album Hot Fuss in 2004, first in the UK and later in the United States. The band reached mainstream success with their singles, “Mr. Brightside,” “All These Things That I’ve Done” and “Somebody Told Me,” which peaked at number three on the charts with the re-release. Hot Fuss took the music world by storm and earned the band notoriety with many of their often mentioned influencers including David Bowie, who paid them a surprise backstage visit; Bono, who invited them to a soundcheck; and Elton John who thanked them in the notes of one of his albums. With all the pressure, could the band follow up with a successful sophomore album?

The Killer’s second album Sam’s Town was released in October 2006 in the UK and in the United States and peaked at #2 on Billboard. Their first single “When You Were Young” received a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song competing against notable rockers: Bob Dylan, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and Snow Patrol. The song also received a nomination for Best Short Form Music Video.

Brandon Flowers answers the question about their success best with a story he tells about a prospective guitarist who wished Flowers “Good luck with your Duran Duran thing.” Flowers later saw the same guitarist at a Las Vegas hotel working at a kiosk and thought, “It worked out all right.”