The Killers

The atmosphere inside the academy is intense tonight, and for good reason. The scramble for tickets for this tour was widely reported, with the 'sold out' signs going up before most box offices had even opened, and desparate punters were paying through the nose outside, just for the right to get in.

Adding to the atmosphere was the imaginative stage set. Decked out in tattered bunting and flickering neon, the set evoked the battered, worn down and worn out look of old time Las Vegas. It was refreshing to see that some time had been taken with the set, which is an aspect of the live show which is so often forgotten in a venue this size. So, we've got the crowd at fever pitch, a great set, and a great venue, so everything was set up for an excellent gig...

It's a shame, then, that the band didn't keep up their end of the bargain.

Taking to the stage just after nine, The Killers opened with 'Sam's Town', from the new album of the same name. I was distinctly underwhelmed, but I put that down to not being greatly familiar with the new material. What a shock then, when 'Somebody Told Me' kicked in, and the feeling remained. Then it struck me - The Killers just aren't very good. The rest of the set continued as it had started - dull, formulaic and with no real zest. Even 'Glamorous Indie Rock N Roll', surely one of the best pop songs of that last few years, was ruined by the band apparently not knowing the timing. Everything they did led me to think they were just going through the motions. This thought was confirmed when they left the stage barely an hour after they started, and considering the ticket price, a set this short is unacceptable.

It appears then, that The Killers have run out of ideas. The older material sounds incredibly tired, and the new songs just don't reach the heights achieved by 'Hot Fuss', and all this results in is a very dull live show. They have got too big too quickly, and unfortunately now seem to have committed the crucial mistake of believing their own hype, and that is possibly the worst mistake any band can make.

FUTURE GIGS