The Killers, Genting Arena, Birmingham - review and pictures

Watching The Killers is a totally immersive experience that bamboozles, bewitches and tantalises the senses until complete absorption and submission of your very soul takes place.

And last night’s show at Genting Arena, the first night of their UK tour, was exactly that.

With a spellbinding light show, a hypnotising cinematic screen towering over the rear of stage and the beguiling frontman Brandon Flowers – the crowd were captivated from the off.

The first two songs – Wonderful Wonderful and The Man – came from the new album, also called Wonderful Wonderful.

The new material certainly benefited from being played live, giving the songs that bit of edge which the album lacks a little, seeming quite unremarkable on the first few listens.

But last night The Man had real force and energy and, later on in the set list, Rut was incredibly powerful.

Starting with two new numbers did not mean a slow start to the night though, the crowd lapped up the first two tracks and were richly rewarded with the popular hits Somebody Told Me and Spaceman.

From then on in the favourites, though peppered with a few new numbers, kept coming with Smile Like You Mean It, Reasons Unknown, Human and a welcome return for The River is Wild from the classic 2006 Sam’s Town album.

With canons firing ticker tape into the air, pyrotechnics lighting up the stage and streamers shooting across the arena the onslaught of the senses continued in this Disney-like 4D experience.

The super-talented Flowers switched from keyboards to guitar to crowd-teasing frontman – his pitch-perfect vocals never wavering.

By Runaways my soul was possessed and singing along no longer voluntary. The intensity continued with Read my Mind before climaxing with All These Things That I’ve Done which traditionally ended the set – but only after the entranced audience had chanted cult-like and relentlessly ‘I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier.’

It was a return to Wonderful Wonderful for the encore with The Calling – and a change of costume for Flowers emerging in a sparkly gold suit that only the boy from Fabulous Las Vegas could carry off.

This was the calm before the storm though as the night finished on a tremendous high with While You Were Young and everyone’s favourite Mr Brightside.

Somebody told me that The Killers are one of the best live bands on the scene today – they were right!

The Killers return to the Genting Arena tonight (Tuesday)