‘Feet are
tapping, hi
are s ps^
waying... a
nd they
have real s
ongs.’AVA
LONYou know the rumour that’s been doing the
rounds for several years, the one about there
being no rock stars any more? Well, meet Luke
Spiller, clearly a full blown member of that supposed
dying species.
The Struts frontman is part David Lee Roth, part
Michael des Barres and part Frank-N-Furter. He
preens, radiates and glides through this performance
with a charm and ease that allows him to own the
stage and control the crowd – and everybody loves
him for it. He even gets almost everyone in the venue
to squat and then jump up and scream during the
climax to the priapic pandemonium of Where Did She
Go. Now that takes confidence and charisma.
But this isn’t all about Spiller. Guitarist Adam Slack
is sharply complementary and never overplays, not
even during his solo spot. And bassist Jed Elliott and
drummer Gethin Davies also push hard for their
moments in the spotlight.
But it’s as much about the audience as the four on
stage. Spiller calls Struts fans his “human fireworks”,
and with good reason. The reaction is at an almost
constant level of hysteria, reminiscent of the
atmosphere that bands like Poison regularly attracted
in America during the late 80s. To have it happening in
London in 2019 is a sure sign that this band are rapidly
climbing up the ladder.
There are no gimmicks anywhere. Who needs them
when you have such fired up entertainment? The
stage setting is not elaborate, and there’s never any
need for Spiller to really encourage
audience participation. It’s awe inspiring
to watch the mass manner in which
arms are waved and throats roar at
regular intervals. You cannot help
tingling, shaking, twisting and shouting.
And everywhere you look, feet are
tapping, hips are swaying.
The band draw from a lot of
influences. Slade, Van Halen, the
Rolling Stones, Queen and the Bay City
Rollers (!) are but a few that obviously
expose themselves. However, this lot
have been clever at ensuring they sound
like nothing other than... well, The Struts.
And they have songs. Real songs, in the finest
tradition of power pop. Namely, throwaway tunes
which get embedded in the memory and refuse to
vacate – the best type of musical squatters. Opening
with the fluid Primadonna Like Me, there are just so
many highlights. Body Talks, Tatler Magazine, I Do It So
Well... they’re all executed brilliantly. And Spiller gets
major audience participation for Fire (Part 1) by telling
us that a video is being shot right here and now.
Whether it’s true or not, who cares. It elicits the right
level of involvement from the floor.
There’s even a medley of four songs midway
through the set, pitched up from their debut album
Everybody Wants – namely The Ol’ Switcheroo, Black
Swan, Roll Up and Young Stars. This displays a touch ofarrogance that you can only admire. Most bands of
The Struts’ stature wouldn’t dare do something so
brazen. But that’s what we love about them – there’s
no pandering to normal conventions. This is
accentuated when a special guest is brought out
towards the end. It’s not an obvious choice; it’s Kyle
Falconer, guitarist with indie band The View, who joins
them for a cover of the Scots’ 2007 hit Same Jeans.
Apparently their albums had a profound influence on
the band in their formative years, so it’s reasonable to
show what they meant to the developing Struts.
Both a throwback to the golden era of 70s British
glam yet also reassuringly modern, to paraphrase new
wave fave Jonathan Richman, The Struts live offer the
most fun you can have with your clothes on.
Malcolm DomeThe Struts
London The Forum
Devastating entertainment and mass hysteria in the capital.
Matador-chic: Struts
bassist Jed Elliott
looking sharp.No more rock stars?
Meet Luke Spiller,
and think again.