Wednesday 26/05/04 The Killers @ Carling Academy 2, Liverpool

Expectation can be a disastrous accompaniment to a band. Maybe this is the One. Perhaps, this is the start of the fourth wave of Stateside-based bands to whip up another storm in this tiny isle. It might just be, that there is a new leader of the pack – from the vacuous-glitterati sprawl of Las Vegas, no less.

The Killers are most certainly on the ‘must see, must hear, must be excited about’ hotlist. They look good – obligatory Albert Hammond hair is present – and two frenzied jerk-pop singles have been thrilling to witness on CD:UK etc. etc.

 Tonight, the atmosphere of expectation builds up similar to when that guy almost gambled his entire life away at roulette in ‘Vegas the other month. He chose red and won. Unfortunately, it seems the Killers have opted for black. The style credentials are here; Hot Hot Heat with a bastardised form of Duran Duran power synths, shuddering riffs and shout-at-death vocals, but where is the Killer instinct?

‘Somebody Told Me’ is of course, a marvellous confrontation between razor-sharp chorus and infectious funk rhythm, while ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ betrays sinister late-‘70s Bowie undertones. But it all hinges, naturally, on the single-of-the-moment ‘Mr Brightside’. It comes to a point, around mid-way through the song, when you realise it has fallen woefully short of your expectation, simply because you suddenly become conscious that the pervasive chatter about ‘the Shed 7 sound’ is remarkably accurate. And once you know this, it’s never going to go away.

So herein lies the problem. The Killers: incredible name, to suit dark-edged, slight funk-rock indie, with absolutely no substance whatsoever.

Killer or filler – it’s like roulette all over again.

Photos by Sakura Henderson