THE KILLERS: ALWAYS LOOK ON THE MR BRIGHTSIDE OF LIFE

Killers love limelight after early gig was in front of just four fans

By John Dingwall

Dailyrecord

THE Killers say they won't take fame for granted after playing to just FOUR fans at an early gig in their home town of Las Vegas.

The band, who formed in 2002, earned their stripes the hard way by playing pubs and clubs back in Sam's town.

So they will savour every moment when they headline the main stage tomorrow night and unleash a string of hits, including Mr Brightside.

Bassist Mark Stoermer (below, second left) recalls: "We played to four people when we started out so this is a far cry from those days. Back then, the crowd was a couple of pals and a record company guy, plus somebody on the sound desk.

"But we kept going. In Vegas, we built a decent following and eventually would draw 100 or 200 people, which was good because Vegas doesn't really have a music scene.

"So headlining festivals like T in the Park is still exciting for us. Scotland in general has one of the best crowds in the world. They always go mad, which makes for a great show.

"I remember our first T in the Park. I got to watch PJ Harvey from the side of the stage and am a huge fan of hers. It was one of the first festivals I've ever been to so it was really exciting."

The Killers have promised a spectacular show to close out the main stage tomorrow.

"If we weren't the headliners, we'd probably go on with the minimal stage set-up and play a60-minute set," Mark admitted.

"It will be similar to Glastonbury where we'll have a backdrop in addition to everything we had on our UK tours.

"We're aware of the bands playing on our stage. Razor light and Arcade Fire are two of the best acts out right now so it's an honour.

"As headliners, we'll play everything we've got and do the whole show with extra bells and whistles."

Mark, charismatic frontman Brandon Flowers, guitarist Dave Keuning and drummer Ronnie Vannuci will have plenty of favourites to draw on.

But bass player Mark insists it was only when he joined the band that things really started to come together.

He said: "Dave and Brandon were playing with two other guys for a couple of months.

"I was a fan of the band and would go to their shows. Then I got a hold of a demo which had an early version of Brightside and I thought it was excellent. The only problem was their rhythm section wasn't very good.

"I thought if I was in this band I could make it better. Then one day Dave called and said they had fired the bass player and drummer and got Ronnie.

"I joined up and we became a complete band and started writing Hot Fuss together. Brandon has developed and is even better now than he was on the Hot Fuss tour."

'Headlining festivals is still exciting for us. Scotland has one of the best crowds and they always go mad which makes for a great show'.

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