The Killers, HMV Forum, London, review This was a rare chance to see The Killers somewhere other than an arena or a stadium. In the eight years since their debut Hot Fuss The Killers have become accustomed to headlining festivals and performing in huge venues - they sold out all one hundred thousand tickets for this autumn's arena tour in less than an hour. This show was a curtain raiser for the tour and new album Battle Born. It was also being broadcast live on Radio 1, but it is an indication of how broad the band's fan base is that alongside the hipsters in their buttoned up plaid shirts there were plenty of greying fortysomethings whose last encounter with Radio 1 probably involved Gary Davies. Lead singer Brandon Flowers, dressed in a black biker leather jacket that was quickly discarded, opened with Runaways, the first single from the new album. The song is a return to the wide screen Americana of the band's second album, Sam's Town - mythic, anthemic and yearning. A furious Somebody Told Me followed which was enhanced by mighty thrashing from drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. Flowers is an unlikely frontman for a rock band: while guitarist Dave Keuning's shaggy hair appeared to be a tribute to mid-eighties Bon Jovi, Flowers, with his rolled up black shirt and sensibly short hair, seemed to be channelling late period Gary Barlow. Flowers pawed at his keyboards - which featured a lit up lightning bolt for Smile like You Mean It and new song, the electro-pop driven Flesh and Bone - before donning a guitar for For Reasons Unknown. Here with Me began simply with a plain keyboard figure before building to a gigantic power ballad. "I don't want your picture on my cell phone," Flowers sang, a moment captured by a thousand cell phones. The band played for just over an hour and almost every song could have a climatic closer: a helplessly infectious and joyous Mr Brightside, the crowd singing the refrain of "I got soul but I'm not a soldier" during All These Things That I've Done. I had no idea what that line meant even as I was singing along, which pretty much sums up the appeal of the band: it's best to dance first and ask questions later. Laser beams darted from stage to ceiling, a cannon of confetti exploded on our heads, Flowers bounced around like he had springs under his shoes. This was a truncated set - only 70 minutes - which meant that something was sacrificed. Like a comedian hurling one punch line after another the effect was ultimately wearying. I longed for pacing and pauses rather than only an awesome display of musical firepower, but then I was reminded that The Killers are from Las Vegas - a city famed for outrageous entertainment and allergic to restraint.