The Killers were formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2002. Having been abandoned the previous year by his first band, Blush Response, declining to move with them to L.A., lead vocalist Brandon Flowers met guitarist David Keuning after responding to an ad that Keuning had placed in The Sun newspaper. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and bassist Mark Stoermer were then approached by Flowers and Keuning with an offer to join the Killers, a name which comes from the bass drum of a fictional band in the music video for the New Order song "Crystal". Playing in large Vegas clubs, the band attracted the attention of a British representative for Warner Bros, who, although passing on the band, took a demo back with him and showed it to a friend who worked for UK indie label Lizard King. The Killers signed for Lizard King, and released their debut album "Hot Fuss" in June 2004, which was eventually certified 4 times platinum by the BPI, and 3 times Platinum by RIAA. The single "Mr. Brightside" reached the Top 10 in the UK, and the re-release of “Somebody Told Me” made number 3.

The Killers' second album, “Sam's Town” was released in October 2006, and it sold over 700,000 copies worldwide in the first week of release, and occupied number 2 on the Billboard chart. First single "When You Were Young" entered the chart on downloads alone at number 5, and on its official release the following week went to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The Killers recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios for “Live from Abbey Road” in November 2006, with an almost totally unplugged set, which included a cover of Dire Straits’ "Romeo and Juliet". They also won the 2007 BRIT Awards for “International Group” and “International Album”.

The band released a compilation album called “Sawdust”, containing B-sides, rarities, and some new material, in November 2007, an album that has been classifed as Gold by the BPI. It contains tracks such as "Tranquilize", a collaboration with Lou Reed, the aforementioned cover of “Romeo and Juliet”, and a cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay".

The Killers' first 2 albums have combined worldwide sales in excess of 12 million copies.