The Killers Confirm New Christmas Single “It’s 99% Done”

Fans of forthcoming Big Day Out headliners The Killers, will be getting an early Christmas present ahead of the Las Vegas’ quartet’s appearance down under in January 2013 for the annual music event.

In an upcoming Tone Deaf interview with Dave Keuning of The Killers, the guitarist confirmed that the band had completed a brand new song, the latest in the group’s tradition of annually exclusive Christmas singles.

Speaking down the line from Manchester, England, where the band are currently touring their fourth glamorous set of arena rock, Battle Born (read the Tone Deaf review here) the 36-year-old axeman confirmed that the band were in the final stages of completing and releasing their new holiday season recording.

“Yeah, I think we’re just finishing one right now,” said Keuning. “It should be coming out any day, I don’t know when the exact release date is but it’s 99% done. There’ll be another one for people to have if they want it.”

A new Christmas single for 2012 would mark the sixth year in a row in which The Killers have stuck to their unique annual tradition, the musical festivities following on from last year’s track ‘The Cowboy’s Christmas Ball”, which was released as part of a special EP that contained all of their previous Christmas releases.

Keuning went on to confirm that the new as-yet-untitled tune “[is] an original” before saying, “it doesn’t sound like a Christmas song right away, it takes a little while for that element to kick in, but I like this one.”

Speaking of the band’s upcoming headline slot at Big Day Out 2013, Keuning said he was looking forward to their return to the Festival scene and Australia after a three year absence, saying of their Southern Cross fans, “[they] know how to enjoy a show, it’s a great atmosphere and it’s a good time… it instantly puts us in a good mood – it’ll just be a party.”

At being told of the Big Day Out’s plans to reinvent festival food with the announcement of Chow Town, which promises Pulled Pork, Lobster Corn Dogs, Chinese Duck Bao’s and more, The Killers guitarist simply responded “Wow! That’s something to look forward to.”

Indeed. Chow Town– named after its Lollapalooza brethren - that sees renegade Porteno/Bodega chefs Ben Milgate and Elvis Abrahanowicz as the ‘Culinary Outlaw’ ambassadors for the music festival, is just one of several drastic changes to the Big Day Out as it celebrates its 21st birthday, after undergoing big changes at the start of the year, when festival promoter Ken West – following the dissolution of his business partnership with Vivian Lees – announced a new creative partnership with C3 Presents, the promotional brains responsible for Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits Music Festival.

The pulling power of West’s new touring partners has ensured the huge likes of The Killers – along with co-headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers and the likes of  Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Alabama Shakes, Grinspoon and many more, have made for a festival lineup which Ken West has already stated he’s extremely proud of; while noting that a sell out in Sydney was imminent, also confirming that the 2013 ticket sales have surpassed last year’s troubled event.