The Killers' Ronnie Vannucci Jr Reveals Inspiration Behind Solo Project Big Talk

The Killers' Ronnie Vannucci Jr has been talking to Spinner about his new solo project Big Talk -- and reveals the musical inspiration behind his new band.

Chatting exclusively to us, the drummer revealed he drew on the music he listened to in his teen years -- including Joe Jackson, the Heartbreakers and the Replacements.

He explains, "It's all rock'n'roll. I just have a fondness for simple pop songs, the simplest ones are the ones you hang onto for ever."

The result is his eponymous debut Big Talk album featuring new single 'The Next One Living,' which he describes as, "my favourite song on the album."

He explained that the impetus behind branching out on his own was the Killers announcing their hiatus last year.

Ronnie continues, "It wasn't in my mind until after a couple of weeks off, then I started feeling creative and I just wanted to keep going. I was like, how are you supposed to pull the plug and just stop? And I just couldn't do that. So I had to do something else, so I decided to try this."

He's put a tonne of effort into his outing too, playing all the instruments on his debut record, as well as stepping out in front of the microphone for the first time.

With some trepidation, he's announced his outfit are going to tour, with dates in the UK planned for September.

He's rehearsing hard too to become a frontman for the first time, but he's not phased, musing, "I've never been scared, but it's a different situation. I mean, the songs are so fun you just forget about everything else.

"As long as I can pull it off I'm just going to have fun with it and enjoy it while I'm up there."

Watch the video for Big Talk's 'Getaways'