Thursday 22/02/07 The Killers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club @ Glasgow SECC

The Killers and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club make an unlikely combination, the glitz of The Killers being a stark contrast to BRMC’s gloomy rock. However, while BRMC’s support set may not have won them many new fans it was nevertheless solid. New single ‘Weapon Of Choice’ stood out, a marriage of the heavy psychedelic feel from their first album and the rootsier mood of their third album. They close with an oldie, ‘Whatever Happened To My Rock N Roll (Punk Song)’, a track that is still as fiery and incendiary as it was upon first listen.

An expectant buzz starts to rise after they depart, anticipation for The Killers is growing. Having sold out in ridiculously quick time there’s no doubting the demand, which is perhaps odd as while the Killers may be a great singles band they’re yet to deliver an album that stands up all the way through. ‘Hot Fuss’ suffers from being overloaded in its first half and falling away later on, while ‘Sam’s Town’ is heavily overproduced, making it rather soulless.

Despite that The Killers are clearly now in the upper pantheon of bands. As proof a lengthy, dramatic video unfolds before the band step on stage, heightening the tension further. Finally, they arrive… and everything goes flat. The opening tracks from Sam’s Town ensure the beginning is more predictable than anything else while the cutting disco/synth pop of ‘Bones’ and ‘Somebody Told Me’ are dispatched in a manner that is merely clinical.