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Now made up of Brandon Flowers, Dave Keuning, Ronnie Vannuci Jr and Mark Stoeremer, the Killers were formed in Las Vegas in 2001. Considered one of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century, the Killers have been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, seven Brit Awards and a staggering twenty-four NME Awards. Their popularity extends greatly to the UK where each of their seven albums have reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. Their performance at the Champions League Final could contribute greatly to a night to remember for British fans as the final could still be made up of two English teams with Liverpool and Arsenal remaining in the competition. They head into the quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain and Sporting Lisbon respectively in April.

Musical performances at the Champions League final are a relatively new development for the competition which was originally founded in 1955. However after drawing from inspiration from the infamous NFL Superbowl Halftime shows, the first performance at the Champions League Final was by Dua Lipa in 2018. There was a brief gap between performances before Camila Cabello performed in 2022, followed by Lenny Kravitz in 2024 and Linkin Park in 2025.

American influences on European and English football has increased tenfold perhaps owing to actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny’s well documented journey as they bought then, national league team Wrexham. Following huge investment and media interest, Wrexham have now reached the Championship and are on course to play in the Premier League sooner rather than later. Furthermore, football based sitcom ‘Ted Lasso’ which follows an American coach in the UK has received mass critical acclaim and the US President Donald Trump was a guest of honour at the recent Club World Cup competition which was won by English club Chelsea.

The band are currently on a run of shows in South America with tickets available now before they head to Budapest for the final.

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Fans can also expect the release of the eight studio album following confirmation from lead vocalist Flowers who told the Sun; “My best guess is that in 2027 you will get the best Killers record”.

According to BBC News, “The Irish government has signed a contract for the use of the site at Stradbally. The site will house 750 people for the duration of the six-week contract, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) has said.” 

The department expects that the site will operate at full capacity just 2 days after welcoming refugees.

The Electric Picnic Festival site will provide hot meals and water, as well as hot shower facilities, toilets and an on-site paramedic.

Electric Picnic is an arts and music festival occurring annually since 2004. Every year, (excluding 2020 and 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic) Electric Picnic offers a vast selection of music, art, theatre and comedy acts, as well as food and holistic health merchandise. With an average of 70,000 attendees each year, Electric Picnic is Ireland’s biggest music festival, making it the perfect place to host a large number of refugees and those in need. The 2023 lineup included acts such as Billie Eilish, The Killers and Irish-born Niall Horan.

Well, that’s a wrap everyone!

Thank you all for an incredible weekend. See you again next year! #EP23 #EP24 #ElectricPicnic pic.twitter.com/lr94WpvTEU

— Electric Picnic (@EPfestival) September 4, 2023

The Irish government has provided housing to over 92,400 refugees since February 2021. 69,518 of these being people seeking refuge after fleeing the war in Ukraine.

A department spokesperson told BBC News “The summer months have seen an increase in the number of arrivals from Ukraine, with more than 10,000 people fleeing here since 1 May, an average of around 650 people per week”.

The Irish government has also gathered additional accommodation from local student housing and the tourism sector, however, these housing options are already at capacity. It is due to this, that tented accommodation is now going to be the first option for new arrivals from Ukraine and anyone seeking asylum in Ireland.

“A small number of new arrivals have already been placed in tents, and this will increase as new locations for tented facilities come on stream. Vulnerable arrivals will be prioritised for any non-tented accommodation available.” – BBC News

In addition to the Electric Picnic festival site, Croke Park, the Aviva Stadium, Dublin Airport and various ex-military camps are also being used to accommodate refugees that have arrived in Ireland over the past year.

Tickets for Electric Picnic 2024 will be available for purchase on September 8th at 9am on their official website.

READING & LEEDS 2023 THATS A WRAP Thank you for another incredible year

R&L 2024 pending

@slb_photo @matteachus pic.twitter.com/sqyFnaAnqH

— Reading & Leeds Fest (@OfficialRandL) August 28, 2023

The action commenced on Friday, with a career defining performance from You Me At Six (featuring a cameo appearance by Rou Reynolds of Enter Shikari), which set the tone for the festival-assuring crowds that the acts preparing to hit the famous stages were ready to bring their A game.

THANK YOU READING & LEEDS Always a pleasure to play this festival x @OfficialRandL @thomaslislebrooker pic.twitter.com/4Xw4B8vLSF — You Me At Six (@youmeatsix) August 26, 2023

And the first day could be best summed up by Sam Fender’s everyman, emotional performance as Friday night’s headliner. Fender, playing the role of humble musician perfectly, perhaps best reflects the thousands of spectators gathered at Reading and Leeds-appealing to the crowd that he is merely one of them and would happily play the role of underdog. While the warm sentiment will have pleased most in front of him, chances are Fender’s career will continue to hit greater and loftier heights in the future.

Still blown away by all of the love from the weekend @OfficialRandL. Thank you pic.twitter.com/RjxV40rpWP

— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) August 29, 2023

Saturday picked up right where the festival left off the night before with, arguably, a sneak peek of what may be to come, after Sleep Token added yet another huge notch to their gig belt with an atmospheric performance on the Festival Republic Stage. The band just seem to be gaining in status with each month that goes by and there is no telling where the band can aspire to.

Sacred moments in time, captured at @OfficialRandL Reading by @adamrosssi Tonight, Leeds shall gather in Worship. pic.twitter.com/wuzwvmnZ6y — Sleep Token (@Sleep_Token) August 27, 2023

But the Main Stage West was treated to something special indeed when the disappointment of Lewis Capaldi was assuaged by the nostalgia inducing set of his replacement, The 1975. The band opted to perform their 2013 eponymous record in full, transporting the audience back 10 years when the band had the world beckoning. The 1975 proved that even a decade removed, the self-titled album still resonates, with even the newly initiated finding something to nod their heads along to.

Reading Festival
Reading, UK
August 26th 2023 #The1975 pic.twitter.com/CyqQaMq2QN

— The 1975 (@the1975) August 29, 2023

Of course, not to be outdone, The Killers delivered a set to remember, even at one point featuring a young teen playing drums on “For Reasons Unknown.” The band have long been indie rock’s crown jewel and the band proved their credentials with a headlining set that all but cements them as one of the greatest of their generation.

Reading rocked again tonight! pic.twitter.com/SLXAvjN42l — The Killers (@thekillers) August 26, 2023

The final day for the festival promised to be one of the most defining of the weekend and with Imagine Dragons headlining Main Stage West, it certainly got off to the right start. Delivering pure, feel good vibes, the band set the excitement up perfectly for Sunday night’s headliner.

It is simply stunning that Billie Eilish is the youngest performer ever to headline the Main Stage at only 21 years old, but the singer graced the stage like the conquering hero she is. Featuring her hit song from the Barbie soundtrack, “What Was I Made For?” Eilish’s proven success was laid bare for all to see, as her staggering 20 song setlist delivered exactly what festival-goers were craving, marking a thrilling and satisfying end to one of the UK’s most beloved festival experiences.

Check out the performance below:

“Your Side Of Town” hace su debut en vivo en Inglaterra pic.twitter.com/xA6poiQ0zn

— The Killers Fans (@t_hekillersfan) August 26, 2023

The new song, which marks the band’s first of the year, is also their first release since 2022’s standalone single “Boy” and showcases the Las Vegas rockers’ knack for a catchy hook and driving synth-line. In view of a recent Brandon Flowers interview, however, “Your Side Of Town” may be the last arena rock number The Killers put out for a while, with the frontman expressing a desire to make quieter music for smaller venues. 

Talking to The Times, Flowers admitted he had grown tired of the band’s classic sound and even scrapped their latest album midway through recording sessions: 

“Halfway through recording I realised, ‘I can’t do this’ […] I don’t think you’ll see us making this type of music any more. […] This is the crisis I’m in. The Killers are my identity and our songs fill the seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music like ‘Pressure Machine’. I’m as proud of ‘Hot Fuss’ as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life. […] I’m a different person now, it’ll be difficult to go back.”

Listen to the studio version of “Your Side Of Town”:

The rock and roll talisman didn’t let his songwriting predicament affect The Killers’ headlining performance at Reading, however, with the band firing on all cylinders and Flowers displaying his usual showmanship flair. “You know they used to call this Reading Rock?”, he declared, “We’re turning back the clock tonight. We just happen to be the purveyors of some of the finest rock and roll on earth.”

Elsewhere during their hit-filled set, the band honoured their longstanding tradition of inviting a fan up on stage to play drums with them. The lucky candidate this time around was a youngster from Bath, whose hand-made sign requested a chance to perform “For Reasons Unknown” – a wish he was duly granted. Donning a Brazilian football shirt, the boy, named Ozzy, was helped up on stage, where he initially kept the tempo at a slower pace, prompting a joking remark from Flowers: “Go faster,” the frontman said, “More cocaine than marijuana”.

Watch the moment below:

Reading and Leeds festival is a pair of music festivals that take place annually in UK cities Reading and Leeds. The festival dates back as far as 1955 and is still famous today for being the longest running popular music festival to still exist. Every year on the August bank holiday weekend, Richfield Avenue in central Reading and Bramham Park in Leeds welcome over 100,000 avid music lovers for a weekend jam packed with music’s most current and popular artists.

This year’s festival runs from August 25th to August 27th, and the line up features headlining performances from Sam Fender, Foals, The Killers, The 1975, Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons. Lewis Capaldi was set to be amongst this crowd, however, in June 2023 the Scottish sensation cancelled all his upcoming performances. Luckily, The 1975 were ready to replace him and perform as Reading and Leeds headliners for the third time in the band’s career.

If you weren’t able to make it to this year’s festival, do not feel like you’ve missed out completely! There is plenty of live coverage for you to get your live music fix this weekend.

BBC One will be broadcasting shows that feature highlights and coverage of two of this year’s headline performances, The Killers and Billie Eilish.

The Killers’ performance will be aired on BBC One on Sunday 27th August starting at 11:40pm. The Grammy nominated band is sure to get the crowd excited with their world famous Indie classics such as “Mr Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me”, as well as performing songs from their latest album Pressure Machine which was released in 2021.

Reading rocked again tonight! pic.twitter.com/SLXAvjN42l

— The Killers (@thekillers) August 26, 2023

Similarly, the BBC is set to air the much anticipated performance of Billie Eilish’s first ever Reading and Leeds headline on Monday 28th August at 11:15pm. The 21 year old has taken the world by storm with hits such as “Bad Guy”, “When the Party’s Over” and “What was I Made For?”, the latter being featured on the Soundtrack for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (2023) movie.

In addition to these two special shows, BBC iPlayer will have 24/7 coverage of Reading and Leeds festival, which can be found here. You will be able to livestream the entire festival for free, and from the comfort of your own home. Also, from Monday 28th August, there will be the opportunity to watch highlights from the weekend and even past performances from previous years, meaning you can catch up on all things Reading and Leeds even after the festival goer’s tents have been taken down.

You can also catch live broadcasts from Reading’s Main Stage East and Main Stage West on BBC Radio 1 throughout the weekend.

For the full line up, click here.

The Met Office have issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms across the North-east of England stretching from Newcastle to the Leeds and Bradford area.

Met Office metrologist Jonathan Vautrey says “There’s a reasonable chance that some showers will pass over Leeds and Reading over the course of the day. Particularly for Leeds, they are within the yellow warning area that we currently have out just because winds are going to be lightest across that north-eastern area of England today. That will mean those showers are slower moving at times, so rainfall is likely to accumulate in specific locations a bit more.”

When talking about both festival sites he also exclaimed that both Reading and Leeds “do have the potential for seeing some lightning and thunder” during the Saturday.

My Vautrey also warns of the possibility of some flooding across Leeds which could cause logistical issues in and out of the festival.

Yorkshire is expected to get he worst of the conditions in particular, with the yellow thunderstorm warning expected to take effect until 8pm.

Yellow weather warning issued

Thunderstorms across eastern parts of England
Saturday 1100 – 2000

Latest info https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs

Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/fxmGDJePa5

— Met Office (@metoffice) August 26, 2023

Attendees at Leeds will be hoping to avoid any thunder and lightning as Sam Fender and Foals are both expected to headline the Saturday night as Reading festival will be headlined by The Killers and The 1975.

For Leeds, the threat of thunder and lightning will only last the Saturday, although the festival is still expected to be exposed to the threat of torrential rain across the entirety of the Sunday with quick heavy downpours expected to merge alongside longer spells of rain.

The Killers and The 1975 headline Leeds festival on the Sunday whilst Billie Eilish and Imagine Dragons headline Reading festival.

Reading is expected to be less at risk for rain on the Sunday, however after some expected sunny spells in the morning, there is some possibility of showers as the day progresses into the evening time.

Temperatures for both Reading and Leeds will fluctuate between 19 degrees during the afternoon and around 11/10 degrees later at night across the entirety of the festival.

Both Reading and Leeds are expected to have sunny conditions as many festival goers exit the respective festivals on the Monday, hopefully ensuring for safe conditions and minimal disruption as thousands depart the festival sites.

He made it to the Pyramid Stage at 9pm and opened his set with “Pinball Wizard”. After that, he said to the crowd: “I never thought I would ever play Glastonbury and here I am. It’s a very special and emotional night for me because it might be my last show ever in England, so I had better play well and I had better entertain you, you’ve been standing there so long and I really appreciate all the outfits and everything.”

Sir Elton performed a few more songs including “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues”. Performing onstage with Elton John was Jacob Lusk of Gabriels and The London Community Gospel Choir for “ Are You Ready For Love?”

While introducing his second special guest, he told the crowd: “When I chose my guests for this show I wanted to have newer artists, save for one person, and this boy I heard last year on the radio. I’ve asked him to come to Glastonbury to do his song and he’s an amazing young talent.” Stephen Sanchez joined Sir Elton onstage and performed Sanchez’s hit song “Until I Found You”.

The next performer that joined Sir Elton John was Brandon Flowers who is The Killers’ frontman. Together they performed “Tiny Dancer”. Afterwards, he welcomed his last special guest Rina Sawayama to the stage and performed “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” together.

Sir Elton paid tribute to singer-songwriter George Michael with song “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” He told the crowd: “He was my friend, he was an inspiration, and today would have been his 60th birthday, so I want to dedicate this song to his memory.”

In an emotional farewell, Sir Elton thanked the crowd, saying: “I also want to thank you for 52 years of amazing love and loyalty that you’ve shown me. It’s been an incredible journey. I’ve had the best time, I will never forget you, you’re in my head and my heart and my soul, you’ve been amazing. You’ve been an incredible crowd tonight. I wish you love and health and happiness.”

On the 17^th May, the venue posted on its website and social media accounts the plea for fans to object to the landlord’s licence application writing, “As many of you are aware, our landlords have issued The Leadmill with an eviction notice in order to operate from this location themselves. If they are successful, this would result in The Leadmill ceasing to exist after 43 years.”

Help to save The Leadmill. For more information please visit https://t.co/2YhtkPx7M7 pic.twitter.com/d0wkeKUMbZ

— The Leadmill (@Leadmill) May 17, 2023

Members of the public can object to the application if they are aware of any relevant reasons as to why it shouldn’t be granted which includes the prevention of crime and disorder, public safety, the prevention of public nuisance, and the protection of children from harm. The Leadmill continued, “You may be assisted in your understanding by Googling relevant reviews and press reports about the operation of the landlord’s current nightclubs. These are; Electric Brixton, SWX Bristol, and NX Newcastle.”

In 2017, Electric Group bought the site’s freehold and announced their plans to evict the current management in order to run the venue themselves under the name Electric Sheffield last year.

Artists and gig-goers alike have been quick to support the preservation of the current managers of The Leadmill on social media. Last year when the landlords announced their plans to evict the organisers, Yorkshire band Kaiser Chiefs took to Twitter writing, “We played The Leadmill in our early days and not only do we have very fond memories, it really helped us, too. It would be a huge loss not just for Sheffield and Yorkshire, but the whole UK music scene.”

We played @Leadmill in our early days and not only do we have very fond memories, it really helped us, too. It would be a huge loss not just for Sheffield and Yorkshire, but the whole UK music scene. #WeCantLoseLeadmill https://t.co/Y3Sgc8aQBq — Kaiser Chiefs (@KaiserChiefs) March 31, 2022

Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess also joined the #WeCantLoseTheLeadmill campaign on social media writing, “Such a brilliant venue. Let’s do all we can to stop The @Leadmill from closing.”

Such a brilliant venue. Let’s do all we can to stop The @Leadmill from closing https://t.co/0VeUfeBdMz

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) March 31, 2022

Northern Irish rock band Ash joined the campaign too, adding, “This venue has been part of our lives for almost 30 years. Always been a great place to play. Show them your support; let’s get @Leadmill trending.”

This venue has been part of our lives for almost 30 years. Always been a great place to play. Show them your support; let’s get @Leadmill trending. https://t.co/v8U2HcDmcl

— ASH (@ashofficial) March 31, 2022

Sheffield’s own Arctic Monkeys have previously shown their support for the venue by launching a Crowdfunder campaign to help with funding in 2020. Alex Turner chipped in by giving away his Fender Stratocaster used in the band’s early days.

Last year, Music Venue Trust launched a new initiative to protect, secure, and improve UK music venues.

The former flour mill has a long history of hosting gigs having once been the Esquire in the 1960s where the Small Faces and Jimi Hendrix played. The live music venue and nightclub first opened its doors as The Leadmill in 1980 and has since hosted artists including Pulp, Coldplay, The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, The Killers, and Oasis. To celebrate its 40th anniversary back in 2021, the venue released a limited edition red vinyl compilation album featuring tracks from the likes of The Orielles, Enter Shikari, and Bedroom High Club.

Flowers said prior to the performance: “Jo Whiley, she’s always championed us since the very beginning – she’s here tonight… should have a jubilee, right? She said some wonderful things about this next song and she requested it tonight – if you don’t like it blame her. It’s called ‘Pressure Machine.”

The Killers are currently on a UK tour and are performing another London date this evening. The group played a small, intimate show in Sheffield last month, which marked their first gig on UK soil since 2019.

According to NME, Flowers expressed a great degree of gratitude to be back performing internationally: “Oh, man – it’s such a strange thing that it’s been three years… This feels so familiar but when you look at the days… it’s been a thousand days. It’s wild. I hope you can tell that we’re genuine though when we talk about our love for this place. Man… I mean, you changed our lives! And we do love coming here – this is our spiritual home. You took these sentimental Americans in, and we won’t forget it.”

The Killers released their seventh studio album Pressure Machine last year, which is a concept record based on Flowers’ life growing up in Utah. The album saw the group collaborating with indie superstar Phoebe Bridgers on the track “Runaway Horses” which you can listen to down below. The record received largely favourable reviews from critics and was widely adored by fans. In a four-star review, NME said of the record: “not only is it a project we we may never have heard otherwise, but a deeply satisfying entry into their catalogue. It’s a homecoming of discreet intentions, not the pompous heroes return they’re likely used to – the modesty and subtlety suits them.”

You can listen to Pressure Machine on all streaming services, and physical copies can be purchased here. The Killers are currently on tour in the UK, and will be playing a series of dates until June 14^th. To snag any remaining tickets, you can visit this link here. All of their remaining UK dates can be viewed below.

06/06/2022- Falkirk Stadium- Falkirk
07/06- Falkirk Stadium- Falkirk
09/06- Carrow Road Stadium- Norwich
11/06- Emirates Old Trafford- Manchester
14/06- Malahide Castle- Malahide

“It’s been a couple of hard years – how’re holding up? Alright?” calls out frontman Brandon Flowers after a trio of fan favourites ’When You Were Young’, ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’ and ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, “Thank you very much. There’s been a lot of separation, there’s been a lot of uncertainty. But there’s one thing I’m certain of… we are together tonight, so let’s do something about it.”. A slight surprise in the set came from the early appearance of their seminal single ‘Mr Brightside’ which surprisingly came in the first half of the first set. Flowers also went on to comment on the recent warmup shows in Vegas, “We did some warm-up shows in Vegas. It was good but tonight feels a little bit better. Thanks for coming.” Before ultimately concluding that Sheffield is, in fact, “our spiritual home”.

“Oh, man – it’s such a strange thing that it’s been three years,” he said. “This feels so familiar but when you look at the days… it’s been a thousand days. It’s wild.” muses Flower’s midway through the set, “I hope you can tell that we’re genuine though when we talk about our love for this place. Man… I mean, you changed our lives! And we do love coming here – this is our spiritual home. You took these sentimental Americans in, and we won’t forget it.”

If you weren’t fortunate enough to bag tickets to this particularly intimate set, then you can try and snap up what few tickets may remain to their stadium tour here. Beginning at the end of the month, the tour will see support from Blossoms, Manic Street Preachers, Supergrass, and Sam Fender – depending on which night of course. You can see the full list of dates below.

24/5 – Doncaster – Keepmoat Stadium
26/5 – Bristol – Ashton Gate
28/5 – Coventry – Ricoh Arena
30/5 – Southampton – St Mary’s
1/5 – Middlesbrough – Riverside Stadium
3/5 – London – Emirates Stadium
4/5 – London – Emirates Stadium
7/5 – Falkirk – The Falkirk Stadium
9/5 – Norwich – Carrow Road
11/5 – Manchester – Emirates Old Trafford
14/5 – Dublin – Malahide Castle
15/5 – Dublin – Malahide Castle