Whilst Black Rebel Motorcycle Club received plenty of praise during their initial burst of fame in 2001, they have actually been one of the most underrated rock bands of the past five years. Their distinctive mix of down and dirty punk riffs and epic psychedelia remains as inspired as ever, with old favourites such as ‘Spread Your Love’ and the brilliant ‘No Easy Way’ sitting splendidly in their live show alongside newer material like ‘Weapon Of Choice’. They finish with a ferocious take on ‘Whatever Happened To My Rock ‘n’ Roll’, setting the scene perfectly for The Killers’ arrival.
By way of foreplay, images from the Sam’s Town sleeve are projected onto a giant white sheet in front of the stage, which eventually falls away as the band kick into the album’s title tune, amid chaotic lighting and glitter explosions. Brandon Flowers gave a telling quote during an interview with Nick Kent in The Guardian a few months back, remarking that, as a live performer, he’s “so self-conscious that it’s always a struggle to let the bad thoughts fly out of the window and let the music live through me.”
The singer is actually much more assured onstage than the last time I saw The Killers, at the Olympia in 2004, when his inhibitions seemed to be holding him back. Tonight, wearing a typically sharp ensemble of white shirt, waistcoat and black trousers, he dances around, throws theatrical poses and conducts the crowd in singalongs with impressive poise and confidence.
Although the standout tracks from Sam’s Town (particularly ‘When You Were Young’, ‘Read My Mind’ and ‘Uncle Johnny’) go down a storm, the other most noteworthy aspect of the evening is the timely reminder of just what an extraordinarily accomplished debut Hot Fuss was. Eight or nine tracks from the album get an airing and, honestly, there isn’t a duff track among them.
For the encore, the band deliver powerful versions of ‘My List’ (which interpolates a snippet of David Bowie’s ‘When You Rock ‘n’ Roll With Me’), ‘For Reasons Unknown’ (with Flowers on bass) and a climactic ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’. They return once more to play out with ‘Exitlude’, following which Ronnie Vannucci steps out from behind the drum kit to throw roses (strewn around the stage as set decoration) into the audience.
The following day, Flowers remarked to your correspondent that “our best shows have been in Dublin”. This is another one to add to the list.