The Killers and New Order: The Musical Connection in Rock

New Order is a world-famous English band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris, who had previously been members of Joy Division. Following the tragic death of Joy Division's lead singer, Ian Curtis, the band decided to continue making music under a new name rather than disband completely. Shortly afterward, Gillian Gilbert joined New Order as the band's keyboardist.

New Order was embraced by many of Joy Division's fans while also attracting a whole new audience. Their sound evolved into a unique blend of alternative rock, synth-pop, and new wave, marking a significant departure from Joy Division's darker post-punk style. Even so, the legacy of their former band has always remained an important part of New Order's identity.

The members agreed that starting fresh with a different name was the right decision. Their transition to New Order felt like a natural step, allowing them to move forward creatively while honoring their past. They never forgot Joy Division; in fact, they have performed several Joy Division songs during live shows over the years, proving that they have always embraced their musical roots.

Like many legendary bands, New Order has experienced breakups, reunions, lineup changes, and periods of inactivity. Despite these challenges, they have continued to release new music and tour around the world, cementing their place as one of the most influential British bands of all time.

The Killers are an American indie rock band formed in 2001 by vocalist Brandon Flowers and guitarist Dave Keuning. Since their debut, they have become one of the defining rock bands of the 21st century. Their success goes far beyond their popularity—they have sold millions of records worldwide, topped album charts in several countries, headlined major festivals, filled stadiums, and performed in more than 50 countries. Their distinctive blend of indie rock, new wave, and synth-pop has earned them a devoted global fan base and lasting influence on modern rock music.

So what connects New Order and The Killers?

When Brandon Flowers was fired from his first band, a synth-pop group, he became determined to start a band of his own with like- minded musicians.  Everything changed when he saw New Order’s ,usic video, “Crystal”. If you go back and watch it today, you will notice that the fictional band performing in the video is called The Killers. That's where Brandon and Dave Keuning—a 25-year-old guitarist he had recently bonded with—decided they had found the perfect name for their new band.

New Order's "Crystal" didn't just inspire the band's name. It also influenced the visual aesthetic of The Killers. When it came time to film "Somebody Told Me," they paid tribute to New Order's iconic video. It is widely believed that the stage setup and LED screen backdrop featured in the music video were inspired by the visual style of "Crystal."

Another connection to the band that inspired The Killers, is that the Las Vegas natives were often mistaken for being British when they became popular, myself included. Why? Because band and specially Brandon like many UK bands, probably he paid his ohmage to those bands in his own way but adding UK style vocals, way of playing and even some, British fashion was added to their style. The UK music scene embraced them from the very beginning. The Killers found enormous success in Britain, where their albums and singles became major hits, long before they received the same level of recognition in the United States. It was only after they created a huge buzz in the UK that American radio stations and record labels began taking them seriously.

Some fun facts about Mr. Brightside:

• In 2024, the song officially overtook Oasis’s "Wonderwall" to become the biggest-selling single in UK history never to reach Number 1.
• It holds the Guinness World Record for the most cumulative weeks spent on the UK Singles Chart—surpassing an incredible 500 weeks (nearly 10 years total) on the Top 100 chart.
• In British culture, the song is viewed less as an ordinary pop hit and more as an unofficial national anthem, blasted in pubs, at weddings, and at music festivals.

Source: The Guardian, Wikipedia, BBC

As we know, every band grows up admiring other bands, discovering new artists and new sounds. The Killers were no exception. They were already huge fans of the legendary British bands that had come before them and who could blame them? In my opinion, the UK has produced some of the greatest rock music the world has ever heard.

It was David Bowie's Hunky Dory that convinced Brandon Flowers he wanted to make music for a living. Bands such as Queen, Led Zeppelin, and Ireland's U2 were also massive influences because, as Brandon once explained, "they weren't afraid to be big."

The members of The Killers also bonded over a shared love of other influential British artists like The Smiths (they would later open arena shows for Morrissey), The Cure, and Depeche Mode.

Source: NME.

The UK music scene has always had a remarkable ability to recognize genuine talent, especially when it comes to rock music, and The Killers are a perfect example of that. Despite the incredible amount of talent coming out of the UK today, relatively few British rock bands achieve the same level of commercial success in the United States. The reasons are probably complex; changing music trends, differences in radio formats, streaming algorithms, marketing strategies, and record label priorities all play a role or maybe is just about who gives more money to be promoted. Whatever the reason, anyone who regularly listens to UK indie and rock radio quickly discovers outstanding bands that deserve a much wider audience.

FULL CIRCLE

To close the circle between New Order and The Killers' Brandon Flowers, the artists finally shared the stage. Yes, with the song that started it all.

On July 9, 2005, during T in the Park in Scotland, New Order invited Brandon Flowers on stage to perform "Crystal." For Flowers, it must have been an incredibly meaningful and symbolic moment: performing the song that had inspired, the name of his band and, in many ways, the beginning of The Killers' remarkable journey.

Did you know about this part of The Killers history ?