The Killers will now be joined by special guests Blossoms and The Academic at their Malahide Castle, Dublin shows next week after Geordie hero Sam Fender pulled out.

The Seventeen Going Under singer-songwriter has yet to comment on his decision to pull out of his Dublin shows on Tuesday, June 14th and Wednesday, June 16th but scheduling issues were cited for the news.

The 27-year-old recently hit the headlines after tweeting a photo of Johnny Depp having a pint with him at a Newcastle pub, 45 minutes before the actor was scheduled to hear the verdict of his defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard.

Mullingar band The Academic and Stockport indie-rock act Blossoms will take Fender's place instead. Formed in 2013, the latter consists of Tom Ogden, Charlie Salt, Josh Dewhurst, Joe Donovan and Myles Kellock.

⚡️ @TheKillers are delighted to add @BlossomsBand & @TheAcademic as special guests for their two sold out Dublin shows at Malahide Castle on 14/15th June 2022. Sam Fender is unable to open the shows, due to scheduling issues

Gates open 5pm

Travel info: https://t.co/NEnXszrd3r pic.twitter.com/nWFPMV5whM

— MCD Productions (@mcd_productions) June 7, 2022

Tweeting about their support slot for The Killers, The Academic said, "Over the moon to be joining The Killers at Malahide Castle, Dublin on June 14th & 15th!

"We’ve loved this band for as long as we’ve been playing music. What an honour."

Over the moon to be joining The Killers at Malahide Castle, Dublin on June 14th & 15th! ⚡️
We’ve loved this band for as long as we’ve been playing music. What an honour. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/X5Oo3dYtFd

— The Academic (@TheAcademic) June 7, 2022

The indie band released their debut album Tales From The Backseat in 2018 and have since returned with their 2021 Community Spirit EP.

The five-track project on Capitol Records, follows their 2020 EP Acting My Age, produced by Kaiser Chiefs’ Nick Hodgson. This time around, having swatted up on his skills over lockdown, frontman Craig Fitzgerald took over the producer’s chair.

Imploding the Mirage is the sixth studio album by The Killers, released in August 2020 on Island Records/EMI. To date, it is the band's only album without lead guitarist Dave Keuning, who took an indefinite hiatus from the band in 2017.

Revisit our 2021 interview with Sam Fender here.