It was rather appropriate that the wail of fire sirens heralded The Struts onto the stage as their incendiary, high energy performance threatened to bring the house down. With foot stomping, hand clapping anthems and songs so hook laden that they are impossible to resist, this promised to be the most explosive Rock ‘n’ Roll party of the year.
Having supported The Who, Rolling Stones, Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe and being hailed by Dave Grohl as the best band ever to have opened for the Foo Fighters, there is a real feeling that The Struts are on the brink of breaking out.
Blending together the sleaze of The Stones with a liberal dose of Queen’s melodramatics with a platform boot sized stomp of Slade, it only just begins to scratch the surface of what The Struts are all about.
Only two albums into their fledgling career, The Struts have an arsenal of songs that more seasoned bands would die for. Primadonna Like Me, Body Talks, Kiss This and Dirty Sexy Money do exactly what they say on the tin. They strut and preen like the Glam Rock peacocks that they are in glorious multi-colour fashion. Needless to say, every single one hits the mark.
In singer Luke Spiller, they have a genuine old school frontman coming across like the bastard love child of Freddie Mercury and Joan Jett. Spiller is utterly infectious. Blowing the whole stage budget on his wardrobe, Spiller pirouetted around the stage firstly in red and black leather and then into an impressive shiny, sequinned top with enormous wizard sleeves that’d make Liberace blush.
Blessed with a voice to carry it off, Spiller worked the crowd like his life depended on it even pulling Olivia out of the crowd for the “Courtney Cox moment” during their lively cover of Springsteen’s Dancing In The Dark. Spiller certainly gave one lucky girl a night to remember.
When America’s Got Talent star Courtney Hadwin from Hartlepool jumped up on stage for a edgy duet of Janis Joplin’s Another Piece Of My Heart but it provided another memorable moment for an emerging new talent but it was closing song that left the biggest mark of the night. As the crowd snaked their way up the stairs and out of the hall, they spontaneously erupted into a chorus of Could Have Been Me. The whole lot singing and cheering. It was an astonishing moment and when a band can do that to a crowd you just know that you’ve just witnessed something rather special.
Review and Photos By Mick Burgess
The Struts put on a professional show, full of energy and can wrap you up in their charisma so that you think of nothing else during the time you’re at the show. Thank you for this great review. Seen them 3 times and can’t wait until the next time they come to my town!!!
Fantastic review and photos of a Fantastic Band!!