There was a rumour floating around the packed Forum last night that David Cameron was in the audience. I did not spot him on my way in, but he did choose The Killers' “All These Things That I've Done” as a desert island disc in 2006 and I imagine that, being a man of firm convictions, Brandon Flowers still floats his prime-ministerial boat. Clean living, passionate, nothing too controversial – just like the PM before he pulled the knife out and started plotting to slash away at the country's finances.
Flowers' first solo London show was not that different from a Killers show, except with a presumably cheaper band. The Mormon singer apparently wrote his recent Number One album, Flamingo, for his award-garlanded combo, who then decided to take a break, so it is unsurprising that it sounds like no major departure. There is plenty of Springsteenesque bombast, a stomping beat and lyrics that draw on Flowers' enduring interests: biblical salvation and the vampish glamour of his beloved Las Vegas.
Onstage he tied those two themes together very tidily from the moment he walked out in front of the glitzy gold rouched curtain. He stood confidently astride the microphone stand, sleeves rolled up, and delivered a mix of cowpoke country, lurid romanticism and piledriving, turbo-powered rock. While the band was fairly anonymous, Flowers more than made up for their lack of charisma. His arms and legs seemed to go on forever as he strutted around, gestured to the crowd and settled into a role that was part preacher, part high roller.
This was rock music with real style. On "Crossfire" he thumped out the lyrics from a plinth as if delivering a rock-and-roll sermon. On a slowed-down “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” – introduced with the Brit-flattering “This land is my musical home, but this song is about my physical home” – he held out those endless arms and reminded any gamblers in his faithful flock that "the house will always win". Rarely has cheesy sentiment been garnished with such an emotional wallop.
While Flowers was clearly here to plug the new album, he was not averse to messing around, having a good time and keeping things interesting for himself too. A cover version of Kim Carnes's "Bette Davis Eyes" was a surprising MOR curveball and “Only the Young” saw him throw in a spot of Ian Curtis-style jerky dancing. He might aspire to U2-sized stadium stardom, but there has always been a Joy Division indie element to the Anglophile vocalist. The first time I saw Flowers on Top of the Pops sporting a scruffy fringe and singing "Mr Brightside" in 2004, I would have put all my chips on him being from moist Macclesfield, not sunny Nevada.
Contrary to previous reports about this tour, Flowers was happy to dust down some Killers material too. A dramatic "Losing Touch" from 2008’s Day & Age was introduced without any discernible sarcasm as a "blast from the past", but it had a very up-to-the-minute, rafter-loosening impact, adding momentum as the show built to a finish. This was a lean performance with very little chance for Flowers to wilt. The music was loud, the vocals were crisp and after an all-too-short 50 minutes he was gone, returning briefly for an encore that included a faultless acoustic version of “When You Were Young” from 2006's Sam's Town.
I never did see David Cameron. Perhaps he was down the front singing along with the bouncing tide of cameraphone-wavers, hoping that Flowers might essay a cover version of The Jam’s “Eton Rifles”. And if he was there, maybe he was wondering if he would ever be this popular if he ditched his sidekicks and went solo for a while.
- Find Brandon Flowers on Amazon
- Brandon Flowers is on tour until 19 October
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