Week 3 : Day 6 : Boyz interview, '03 Citylife Tramps review, Bristol review, NME Mark festival intvw

Interview

'The Killers - what all the Hot Fuss is about' from Boyz, 8th January 2005.
Thanks to lookup for typing it out!


Take four pouting indie lovelies, add a dollop of tunes more infectious than the proverbial common cold, then sprinkle liberally with the kind of coolness that could make grown men weep and you have The Killers, one of the hottest bands around. Boyz caught up with lead singer Brandon Flowers, who filled us in on trannies, temptation and a date with Elton John...

So apparently you're the next big thing over here. How does that feel?
It feels good I guess. I thought we'd already been the next big thing and gone!

How did you meet?
Me and Dave started the band a few years ago, and we had a different bass player and a different drummer, then eventually we got the final line-up, meeting the others at gigs we were playing.

It's all happened pretty quickly. Do you ever wish you'd had longer to adjust before getting thrown into the spotlight?
I think if you're thrown in you just have to learn, and the way things are now, they don't give bands much time to grow. If your first or second record isn't a hit, that's it, it's over.

So what would you be doing if you weren't a rock star - did you have a back-up plan?
I didn't. I was working as a bellman in a casino, so I'd still be there.

What's it like growing up in Las Vegas? Is it the Sin City that everyone imagines?
I mean, that's always there. The big strip in the middle is where it all takes place and we live around it, so it's there to partake of if you want.

Did you partake?
Err, yes, occasionally!

In what kind of way?
The nightclubs and the gambling casinos.

Everything seems so artificial there.
It was more exciting. It's a beautiful city at night - so many colours, all the casinos... there's always something new opening on the strip. It's not real, but it was just really exciting.

It must have a seedy side too.
Yeah, there are areas where there are gangs, and the prostitution and everything, definitely.

Did you ever get caught up in all that?
No. Never had a hooker!

You're a big hit with gay indie gentlemen, were you aware of that?
I assumed that.

Why, do you get a lot of boyz throwing themselves at you?
Er, sometimes, yeah.

How do you feel about it?
Well, we're here for boys and girls. We don't turn anybody away!

Ever gone there?
Er, no. Not yet.

So do you think the fact that you're hot helps you sell records?
I just think it's the whipped cream.

Whipped cream?
Yeah, whipped cream on top. The Killers are the pie and I guess the looks are the cherry.

Is it true you're a Mormon?
Yeah.

How big a part in your life does that play?
It's been a big part. Not too much when it comes to the music, but in my own personal life.

So does that mean we're never going to see you face down in a pool of your own vomit?
Yeah, I think it's keeping me grounded in a good way. I think I'll put on better shows and I'll last longer if I don't get caught up in the drugs and all of that. And Mormons are very family-oriented, and so I just kind of have that in me.

Do you find the debauchery side of things tempting?
Yeah, absolutely. Every night!

And have you resisted temptation every time?
I've got a really good ratio.

Of good behaviour versus bad behaviour?
Yeah, exactly!

So have there been groupies back to the hotel room, that kind of thing?
Erm... Not mine.

But some of the other band members have?
Maybe...

You used to play in a transsexual bar in Vegas, didn't you?
Yeah, we played at a place called Tramps once a month. A friend of ours was a DJ and he set up a night at this place, spinning Britpop and things like that, and so it was perfect for us to play in between the DJ. There'd be the occasional tranny, but it was really a mixed crowd.

Did you ever get it on with one of those transsexuals?
[laughs] No!

Not even by accident?
No, there weren't any that were that pretty!

The lyrics for your new single seem to hint at that.
Yeah, definitely, I think it was about all of our experiences playing there and in all the clubs, the strip clubs and everything that goes on in Las Vegas. I'm sure it had an effect.

You played with Elton John recently didn't you?
We played with Elton in France, and we're going to go out for dinner with him as well. We're so excited! He has a show in Vegas, and he's a big fan and we're big fans of his. When I was 13 I really got the Elton bug and all his 70s hits and stuff were so amazing, so I can't wait.

So are you taking him out or is he taking you out?
I don't know. I wouldn't mind buying Elton dinner! We owe him for the music he's given the world.

Do you think Elton wants a piece of you?
I think he's into Ronnie, the drummer.

What makes you say that?
I think he likes the darkness. Elton's boyfriend, he kind of looks like Ronnie. I think he has a type, and I think Ronnie definitely fits that. It was obvious when we met him.

So you're sitting down for dinner, Ronnie feels Elton's foot sliding up his leg... what happens next?
Yeah, maybe we should make Ronnie sit next to Elton at dinner! That would be funny.


Review

The Killers live review from Las Vegas City Life, 3rd September 2003
by Jarret Keene.
- thanks to stace!


In last week's CityPicks (Aug. 28), I mentioned a rumor floating around that famed producer Rick Rubin was to appear at the Killers' Aug. 31 show at Tramps. Well, if Rubin had appeared, there wouldn't have been room.

Adding to the density was the heat. Is it an unwritten gay-bar rule that AC must be kept to a minimum so all young male bodies glisten with sweat? Well, they should crank it for the electro-clashers, 'cause it causes their mascara to run -- and it ain't that pretty at all.

Adding to the density and the heat were the Killers. Christ, this band has come a long way from their sorry-ass performances around this time last year. Now the band plays the tightest, slickest, most vicious set of pop tunes I've heard in Las Vegas in the two ho-hum years I've covered this scene. Somebody is grooming these guys for the big leagues, and the effort has clearly paid off. Most of the old, crappy numbers are gone, replaced by unhappy, shiny, infinitely superior ones.

(Moreover, Tramps may not know a damn thing about climate control, but the bar's soundman knows everything about how to get the most from a tiny PA system. The sound was impeccable.)

The guys are even starting to resemble rock stars, what with Ronnie Vannucci gasping for breath as he punishes his drumkit; Tavian Go, his blowout 'fro in full effect, slashing and raking his guitar; and vocalist Brandon Flowers facing off with the front-row ladies as they touch his magnificent jacket. This much is clear: The Killers kick ass.

The best thing I learned that night? "Jenny" is about a girl all right -- but she's dead. Indeed, rather than a sappy ode, the song is a full-throttle requiem.

Yeah, there's very little that's new or original about the Killers, and I suspect there are dozens of similar sounding, retro-'80s, synth-tinged outfits in S.F., Seattle and Portland. But the Killers kill live and have earned the title of Las Vegas' best rock band. Catch them at a local club now, before you have to pay $50 to see them rock the Joint this time next year.


Review

The Killers: Fleece and Firkin, Bristol from Soundsxp.com, 3rd June 2004
by Chris G.
- thanks stace!


The Killers have elements of theatrical Bowie, the despair of prime Smiths and the sheen and popability of Duran Duran. That, in a convenient nutshell, is what will make them special.

The band have an indefinable quality to them, one which sees them ransack the back pages of rock's most bizarre achievements and come out with an amalgamation of something that wouldn't start to make sense on paper. There are still the standard elements of the great rock band equation: there is the enigmatic singer capable of appealing to both sexes and there is the cRaZy drummer, the quiet bassist and the quirky guitarist. But, more important than ensuring that these factors are present is the sense of the band. What they evoke within you and how. The Killers evoke a sense of longing, love, betrayal, hopelessness, escape, ecstasy and, that great staple of any good band, silliness (see: 'Indie Rock'n'Roll').

Five moons after tonight The Killers arrive in the charts at number ten with Mr. Brightside. Whether it is the beginning of something bigger would be stupid to speculate over (have a look at The Vines nowadays). It is, however, instantly clear from looking around the nicely set up Fleece and Firkin that they have wide appeal. There are indie kids, pop tarts and a gay contingent (complete with head feather dress).

The band themselves take to the stage just after ten. They begin with album opener 'Jenny Was A Friend of Mine'. It's a startling beginner and silences the absent minded chatter from the back. The opening couplet spat by Flowers, through irrepressible guitars and drums that strike the right balance between rocky and bouncy, of 'We took a walk that night, but it wasn't the same' doesn't sound like much on paper but there is a drama and vital edge to it which elevates it beyond your average ditty. The song is, after all, about the murder of a girl called Jenny who was a friend of Flowers' and he has no alibi either.

As is probably clear by now, Flowers leads the show. He has an irresistible stage presence. It is quite an achievement for the band, when the drummer is out of his seat and banging the skins for all their worth, to find yourself drawn to the singer just because of the way he holds the mike. His voice is a point of huge debate, I think I have decided to place him as a cross between Black Francis and something else as addictive and just on the right side of sweet as blue smarties. But, to return to the earlier Vines comparison, the band aren't merely his baggage, they are an intrinsically important part of the act and the Killers wouldn't be the Killers tonight if it wasn't for them.

There are flaws, the set drags during the bits everybody doesn't really know and finishing the set with Mr. Brightside, which was staggeringly well received (and executed), only to return for an encore featuring an album track and a b-side was a deflating mistake. But the problems are merely teething. The band will own the summer, after that, it's anybody's guess.


Interview

Bassist Mark Stoermer loved playing his first festival gig from NME, July/August 2004


The first festival we’ve ever played was Coachella this year. It was probably about 115 degrees, but it was cool to play anywhere near the same stage as Radiohead and The Cure. We felt really lucky to be on the bill with all these great bands because we hadn’t even released an album yet and we were playing in the second stage. We were the only band at the festival without an album out. We played in a tent and it was really muggy and hot, but it was cool because there was a lot of people from California there supporting us. Some fans even came out from Las Vegas and knew all the songs - and this was a month before the album came out in the US!


Media Watch
The Killers are in Playboy Magazine (March issue - Paris Hilton on the cover)
The Killers are in L'uomo Vogue (February issue)
NME.com has a video interview featuring Brandon on the NME Tour, here.
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