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Watch Brandon Flowers debut new songs, air Killers classics and perform with Lucy Dacus and Nathaniel Rateliff at Newport Folk Festival
Brandon Flowers used his Newport Folk Festival set to premiere songs from his forthcoming solo album, ‘Thrasher’, while also playing material from his solo catalogue and stripped-back versions of The Killers’ hits. His appearances alongside Lucy Dacus and Nathaniel Rateliff underlined the collaborative, roots-focused character of the festival and previewed a more country-influenced direction for his new work.
Flowers performed recent singles ‘Paradise’ and ‘Plans’ live for the first time, debuted the unreleased ‘Tiger’s Blood’, and revisited songs from 2015’s ‘The Desired Effect’ for the first time since 2016. He joined Dacus for Jim Croce’s ‘Time In A Bottle’ and Rateliff for covers including Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Atlantic City’; ‘Thrasher’, his first solo album since 2015, is due on 21 August, followed by North American, UK and Irish dates including London’s Royal Albert Hall in October.
In short
- Flowers debuted three ‘Thrasher’ songs at Newport Folk Festival.
- He performed Killers classics in stripped-back arrangements.
- ‘Thrasher’ arrives on 21 August.
Explained simply
Brandon Flowers is the lead singer of The Killers, one of the most successful rock bands of the past two decades. He maintains a solo career in parallel with his work in the band, with his solo albums often exploring different musical directions.
Newport Folk Festival is an annual music event held in Rhode Island in the United States and is one of the world's most prestigious folk and roots music festivals. The festival attracts artists from many genres who seek to present their music in acoustic or traditional styles.
Folk festivals have become increasingly important venues for artists to experiment with different sounds and present new material to audiences interested in roots music. For an established artist like Flowers, such appearances signal a shift in musical direction and provide insight into upcoming projects.
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