April 30, 2009 10:02

Killers: 'We want to knock Led Zeppelin and Nirvana off their pedestals'

Brandon Flowers reveals band's US ambitions

Photo Gallery: The Killers

The Killers have thrown down the gauntlet to American music fans, declaring they will knock Led Zeppelin and Nirvana "off their pedestals".

The Las Vegas band are currently in the middle of a north American tour, and frontman Brandon Flowers has told NME.COM he will use the dates to help repeat the success the band have already enjoyed in Britain. But first, they'll have to overcome the US public's listening prejudices.

"We’ve been embraced in Britain in a way that I’ll never understand, and it’s such a wonderful thing," he declared. "But over here [in America], people are still so obsessed with Led Zeppelin and Nirvana, those sorts of bands, that nobody else is allowed [to grow]."

He added: "It’s not just us; there are a lot of great bands that have been held down or confined by the influence of these people that we’ve put up on pedestals. I’m tired of it, you know? I just want to knock them all off! And people don’t like that attitude. It’s almost like they don’t believe that it’s possible that anybody else can be the real deal.

"It doesn’t matter how many great songs we write or how many great shows we play. But we’re slowly chipping away at it. With this last album ['Day And Age'], there’s been a noticeable shift but we’re still nowhere near where we are in Europe."

To read the full, exclusive interview with Flowers, including his plans for this summer's festivals and The Killers future release plans, get this week's issue of NME which is on UK newsstands now.