Brandon Flowers debuts solo tracks and Killers classics at Newport Folk Festival

Brandon Flowers took the stage at Newport Folk Festival on Sunday, 26 July, unveiling material from his forthcoming third solo album 'Thrasher' alongside stripped-back renditions of The Killers' catalogue.

Flowers opened with 'Crossfire' from his 2010 debut 'Flamingo', then performed 'Paradise' and 'Plans' live for the first time. The set also featured the previously unheard 'Tiger's Blood', along with tracks from 'The Desired Effect' including 'Still Want You' and 'Diggin' Up The Heart', which Flowers had not performed since 2016. Two Killers songs—'Read My Mind' and 'When You Were Young'—received acoustic arrangements, whilst 'The Getting By' from the band's 2021 album 'Pressure Machine' rounded out the setlist.

The Rhode Island festival marked a significant moment for collaborations. On Friday, Flowers joined Lucy Dacus during her set for a stripped-back cover of Jim Croce's 'Time In A Bottle', recorded for the expanded edition of Dacus' album 'Forever Is A Feeling'. Two days later, he returned for Nathaniel Rateliff's closing performance, joining him for covers of Bruce Springsteen's 'Atlantic City', John Prine's 'Paradise', and The Band's 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down'.

'Thrasher' arrives on 21 August via Island Records. Recorded in Nashville, the project draws on Flowers' childhood in Nephi, Utah, and his father's country music influence. Flowers will tour North America, the UK and Ireland later this year in support of the album, with a London Royal Albert Hall date scheduled for October. He has also confirmed that a second solo album will follow 'Thrasher', with The Killers' eighth studio album predicted for 2027.