Brandon Flowers (vocals/keyboards), David Keuning (guitar), Mark Stoermer (ba**), and Ronnie Vannucci (drums) took the fashionista pop world by storm in summer 2004 with "Somebody Told Me." The perfectly stylish song pulls from the band's influences -- the Smiths, New Order, Oasis, and the Cure -- and it was just enough to get them on MTV. Part new wave and part new-millennium post-punk, this Las Vegas foursome originally got together in 2002. Flowers had left behind his former synth pop band, Blush Response, when he noticed a cla**ified ad in the local newspaper placed by Keuning. Both of them were huge Oasis fans, and within weeks the two composed their soon-to-be cult hit, "Mr. Brightside." Stoermer, a former medical courier, and Vannucci, a cla**ical percussion major at UNLV, soon joined the fray that became the k**ers. The London-based indie imprint Lizard King caught wind of the band's brewing hype and quickly signed them to issue the limited-edition single for "Mr. Brightside" in fall 2003. In October, the k**ers' buzz earned them a prime spot at the annual CMJ Music Marathon. A worldwide deal with Island followed shortly thereafter, positioning the k**ers to join the ranks of Interpol, the Rapture, and the Strokes. Shared U.K. dates with British Sea Power and stellastarr* in summer 2004 also gave the band the opportunity to showcase material from its debut album. Hot Fuss appeared in June. Two months later, it was announced that the k**ers were among the ten finalists up for the 2004 Shortlist Music Prize. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide