In 2001, Brandon Flowers was abandoned by the first band that he was in, a synth pop band known as Blush Response, after he declined to move with the rest of them to Los Angeles, California. Brandon formed the band after going to an Oasis concert. The first bassist was Dave's roommate and the first drummer would later sue the band, claiming that he wrote "Mr. Brightside". Ronnie Vannucci and Mark Stoermer were both in other bands when they were approached by Brandon and Dave with an offer to join The Killers. After a watching a few of their early shows, Ronnie Vannucci and Mark Stoermer filled the remaining posts.While thinking of band names, they brainstormed the name "The Genius Sex Poets", which was featured on the bass drum in the American music video version of Mr. Brightside. The band came up with the idea for their name from a New Order video titled "Crystal". It was featured on the bass drum of a fictional band in the video (although The Killers in the New Order video "Crystal" included a female). Incidentally, Brandon Flowers went on to take the stage at the 2005 T in the Park festival and perform "Crystal" with his idols, New Order.Before they became a band, all four of them had various jobs. Flowers, who had dropped out of college, was a bellhop for a while at the Gold Coast Hotel. David Keuning, who was originally from Pella, Iowa and had dropped out of Kirkwood Community College and then the University of Iowa, and moved to Las Vegas in January of 2000, worked at a Banana Republic store, but could not stand the vast amounts of hats; Mark Stoermer worked as a medical courier delivering various medical supplies and was a student of philosophy at UNLV; Ronnie Vannucci was a student of classical percussion at UNLV and worked as a photographer at the Little Chapel of the Flowers and as a pedicab driver at the Desert Passage mall inside the Aladdin Hotel.UK magazine NME was an early champion of the band - reviewing early UK shows. The band became more well-known when they released their album Hot Fuss on June 7, 2004 in the United Kingdom (on London-based indie record label Lizard King Records, now re-named Marrakesh Records) and June 15 in the United States on Island Records. They released their Japanese and French versions of the same album in late 2004. Their first single, "Somebody Told Me," was released on that same year. The band also had chart success with their singles "Mr. Brightside", which reached the Top 10 in the UK when released, and "All These Things That I've Done". The main bulk of their mainstream success came when they scored a number three chart position with their re-release of "Somebody Told Me". Such success spawned feuds with The Bravery and Fall Out Boy, both fellow label-mates for Island Records (see Controversy below).Much of The Killers' music is based on British influences and on the music of the 1980s, particularly New Wave music. Brandon Flowers has also said in interviews that the larger than life sound of many of the band's songs is due to the influence of living in Las Vegas, a city where everything is about flash and who can top whom. Despite their appreciation for the wave of post-punk bands that sprung up during the 80s, the band members are also avowed fans of David Bowie, Morrissey,Queen, and Saves The Day, and the influence of these bands can easily be felt in some of their songs. Brandon Flowers occasionally sings with a faux British accent.On 24th July 2006, Billboard.com reports the Killers debuted their second album, Sam's Town, for the media. According to the preview, the album's sound stays fairly true to that which made the Killers famous worldwide, while incorporating new sounds reminiscent of the Verve, David Bowie, and Peter Gabriel. The album will be accompanied by a European tour in October and a US tour in November, which will feature an additional band member to better recreate the sounds on the record.