The Killers deliver a triumphant, epic headlining performance

And so it's left to The Killers to close a brilliant, sparkling Saturday. By now their carnival-esque stage set-up, complete with fake palm trees and mirrors, looks slightly out of place against a backdrop of slate-grey skies, with a biting wind and sudden drop in temperatures thrown in for good measure by the weather Gods.

With what looks a lot like a deceased Golden Eagle balanced on the shoulders of his military jacket, Brandon Flowers displays the immense showmanship and self-belief he possesses, controlling every inch of the stage and swapping between bass, piano, keyboards and vocal duties.

The glitzy elegance of 'Human' is an extremely promising start and captivates a huge crowd from the moment its synthy opening begins to unfold.

The anthemic, military, march of 'This Is Your Life' follows before 'Somebody Told Me' powers in like an unstoppable disco juggernaut and the stage bursts into bars of dazzling lights.

The mournful 'Reasons Unknown' is genuinely touching, even to this cynical, pop-fearing hack.

With the stage shimmering and pulsing with coloured lights, glitter, and all manner of Las Vegas hotel cabaret props, things threaten to degenerate into a Spinal Tap moment when one of the giant T in the Park banners suspended either side of the stage, is caught by gust of icy wind and breaks loose, flapping onto the stage.

A team of stewards scramble to get the errant giant under control as Flowers and co push on, unperturbed by the stage invasion.

Their fuzzy, moody cover of Joy Division's 'Shadowplay' is surprisingly brilliant before Flowers returns to his piano and slowly teases out the opening to 'Smile Like You Mean It'.

It's a low-key, almost gloomy version until, mid-song, red lights burst forth from the stage and the song is lifted away to its true glory.

Flowers then promises the crowd that the band are going to "up it a little" and they surge through the upbeat, poppy 'Spaceman', with epic desert scenes and pink clouds rolling across the screens.

The more poignant, mature style that characterises much of their more recent material is again present on the dreamy, synthy 'Read My Mind', with Flowers ceaseless to the finish in his efforts to work the crowd.

In contrast, 'Mr Brightside' sounds almost like crude, angsty teen pop-punk, although the swaggering 'All These Things That I've Done' raises the bar again, bounding along to it's nonsensical but on this occasion universally popular "I’ve got soul but I'm not a soldier" refrain. Triumphant, epic stuff.

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