‘When the world’s ending, what have you got to say?’
Brandon Flowers talks about why it was time to get serious
‘Ilove America,” says Brandon Flowers. “It’s not just some kind of blind nationalism thing. I’ve always felt an overwhelming sense of optimism there. And I don’t think that exists everywhere.” The Killers singer is backstage at Birmingham’s Genting Arena, contemplating the state of his nation. “It’s not in the best shape right now. But I think that we’re smart enough and resilient enough to pull through.”
Flowers laughs nervously. Onstage, the dashingly handsome 38-year-old comports himself with the kind of swaggering charisma you might expect from the frontman of a worldfamous rock band. In person, he exudes anxious energy.
Since their hit-packed debut, Hot Fuss, in 2004, The Killers have scored five consecutive number one albums in the UK. Along with The Strokes and Kings of Leon, the Las Vegas band was arguably part of the last great generation of American rock, fusing new wave energy and pop sensibility with classic rock tropes. They cut a dash, wearing eyeliner and flashy fashions, a strong electro element lending their sound a contemporary twist. And (like the other bands) they conquered the UK before making it back home. Yet Flowers recalls a tension when they first visited these shores. “George Wbush was president and there was an air of anti-american sentiment. You could really feel it. Bands (like The White Stripes and Dixie Chicks) were apologising for being from America. I’m not seeing that now. It’s like you’re not mad at us anymore, you’re sorry for us.”
The Killers’ latest album, Wonderful Wonderful, became their first American chart topper in September. It showcased a deeper, more adult approach, with their first avowedly political anthem, Run for Cover, a raging blast against the hypocrisies of politicians. “He’s got a big smile, he’s fake news,” Flowers sings with withering disdain of a duplicitous leader spreading fear through the nation. “All you do is shame us”. Who could he possibly have in mind?
“You’d have to be under a rock to have it not affect you in some way,” says drummer Ronnie Vannucci of the febrile political climate. “It’s like breathing bad air. We have political black lungs.” Big, bearded, laconic, the 41-year-old seems much more comfortable in his skin than his frontman. He sits at a kit set up in his dressing room, rattling the snare as he contemplates changes in the character of The Killers. “We’re a rock and roll band, and maybe that’s kind of superficial, smoke and mirrors. But it comes to a point where you’ve got to be honest with yourself about what really matters. When the f---ing world is ending, what have you got to say?”
2017 was the year The Killers got serious. Their knack for writing urgent, witty, dark pop songs was never in doubt, but Wonderful Wonderful added a sense of purpose to the recipe. It is full of big songs, tackling big issues. “I think music can make a difference,” says Flowers. “It had an effect on me, so I have to believe it can have an effect on the world. I felt it was time to step up to the plate.” His only previous hint of political conviction came when he met with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney during his 2011 campaign against Obama, although Flowers never publicly endorsed Romney. Their common ground was shared faith. Flowers, who is a devout Mormon, certainly stands out from the usual political consensus that rules pop music. “I was raised in a conservative family. I don’t consider myself a liberal. I’m an odd man out in rock and roll,” he says. He does add, though, that while his background was “flag-waving Republican”, he himself has “gone a lot further to the left than I was raised. I’m somewhere in the centre” – perhaps why he is so scathingly anti-trump.
Initially, music represented a form of escape from the strictures of his Mormon upbringing. “It offers a different sense of community. As a young man, I had powerful experiences at concerts, very similar to the kind of spiritual experience I might have had at church.” He grew up in Las Vegas, and was dazzled by the energy of Sin City. “I always had a very romantic vision of it. People look at the casinos and think about the debauchery and capitalism and losing money. And I think about the lights.”
He joined The Killers in 2001 aged 19, the same year he started dating his future wife, Tana Mundkowsky. At first, the band’s rapid ascent sent him on a path that he is blushingly unwilling to talk about. “Drugs are overrated,” is about as much as he is prepared to say. “I gave it a shot and I wasn’t very good at it.” In the early days, Flowers partied hard. “There came a point when I just came face to face with it. My wife was pregnant and it was like, which road are you taking? And that was it. I committed. Without my faith I wouldn’t have even asked myself that question. And I’ve reaped the rewards from that decision ever since.” Flowers has been married since 2004, the couple have three children and are active church members. He has abstained from alcohol and caffeine for 10 years and last month, the family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah (“Mormon central”, as Flowers calls it).
“I still love Vegas, I miss it, I feel for it, but it is tainted for my wife,” says Flowers. The Killers headline a benefit concert there next month to assist victims of the mass shooting incident in October. “That was a huge blow,” says Vannucci. “But the way people responded, taking care of each other, was impressive. It made me proud to be from Vegas.”
“People become nicer when bad things happen,” says Flowers. “There’s a bonding; people find reasons to smile at each other. I’ve noticed that in Vegas.” The pair speak of their home town with huge affection, talking about aspects of the gambling city outsiders rarely see. “We tried to change the city slogan because it’s kind of douchey,” says Vannucci. “Instead of ‘What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas’ we think it should be ‘What Would Elvis Do?’ Which might actually be the same. But, you know, it’s classier.”
The Killers have gone through a lot of changes since their firebrand early days. Flowers and Vannucci are the only original members on this British tour, although the four-piece band remains intact in the studio. Bassist Mark Stoermer and guitarist Dave Keuning have pulled back from touring for health and domestic reasons. The 6ft 5in Stoermer has back problems, aggravated by swinging a bass on stage for hours. Both members have young families who they were reluctant to leave for long periods. But
‘People become nicer when bad things happen. There’s a bonding; people find reasons to smile at each other’
The Killers seem to have negotiated their lack of involvement with impressive maturity. “Bands break up and 10 years later they reform and they’re travelling in separate cars with separate managers and separate film crews, and it’s childish and wastes a lot of energy,” says Vannucci. “So we decided to skip past the drama, respect everybody’s space, and find a way to keep everybody in the same car.” The group will reconvene for one-off dates in the US.
Maturity is not always what we want from rock and roll. But it seems to suit The Killers. Flowers has always had lofty ambitions, and you can feel something special manifesting in the deepening of his art. He is on dazzling form during the opening shows of their tour, energised and grinning, leading adoring crowds in arenashaking singalongs. “It’s new territory for me,” he says. He has, he says, good feelings about the future, for his band and country. “I’m an optimist. I still think this is going to turn around. Every day I assume I’m going to wake up and see that somebody found good enough reason to impeach Donald Trump. He could be gone by the time we play our next show.”
The Killers tour the UK until Nov 28. Wonderful Wonderful is out now