College student plays drums with The Killers at Norwich gig hours after final exam

A sixth-form student has described how she played the drums with American rockers The Killers at a sold-out gig, just hours after finishing her AS-level exams.

Grace Ellis, 17, completed her final exam at East Norfolk Sixth Form College in Gorleston, Norfolk, just before 3pm on Thursday before rushing over to Norwich City's Carrow Road stadium to watch her favourite band in action.

The teenager, from Worlingham near Beccles in Suffolk, made a Las Vegas-style banner to attract the attention of lead singer Brandon Flowers having known about the Indie band's tradition of allowing a member of the crowd to play along with them to their 2007 hit For Reasons Unknown.

Much to Grace's surprise, as the opening riff to the song was being played, Flowers signalled for her to join them on stage, and moments later, she found herself behind Ronnie Vannucci’s drum kit.

Grace with the banner that caught the eye of frontman Brandon Flowers. Credit: Grace Ellis

Young musician Grace, who describes herself as a "massive fan" of the band, said she had been practising the song at home in the hope that she would be the person plucked from the crowd.

"It was incredible. I can't describe it. I'm so grateful that I was able to do it and I got chosen to do it. I don't believe it still. It's quite incredible," she told ITV News Anglia.

"Everyone was cheering my name, it was amazing. I like to drum along to my favourite songs, and I knew they played that particular song so I just sat and practised by myself.

"I just practised running up to the gig, and then it actually happened!"

Grace's performance certainly went down well with the crowd, with many people labelling her "Amazing Grace" after watching videos of the gig on social media.

Her college also congratulated her on her "whirlwind day" and described her performance as "flawless".

Grace, who has been playing the drums since the age of 11, said Flowers had shook her hand after the song had finished and said "well done".

"I was still in shock, you just can't believe it happened," she said. "Just being at the gig was a great way to finish my exams and being able to play with them made it even better."

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know...