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Tour Dates
10/17 Woodlands, TX KTBZ-FM Buzzfest
10/19 Atlanta, GA Earl 10/20 Charlottesville, VA Southern 10/21 Washington, DC Rock & Roll Hotel 10/23 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom 10/24 Philadelphia, PA Foundry 10/25 Boston, MA Sinclair 10/26 Buffalo, NY Iron Works 10/28 Nashville, TN High Watt 10/29 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill 10/31 New Orleans, LA Voodoo Music 11/01 Dallas, TX Club Dada 11/02 Austin, TX Stubb’s BBQ 11/04 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep 11/05 Denver, CO Marquis Theatre 11/08 Vancouver, BC Venue 11/09 Seattle, WA Crocodile 11/10 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom 11/11 Reno, NV Knitting Factory 11/13 Scottsdale, AZ Pub Rock 11/14 Las Vegas, NV Hard Rock Live 11/27 Toronto, ON Adelaide Hall 11/28 Montreal, QC Fairmount Theatre 11/29 Wilkes-Barre, PA Chandelier Lobby 12/01 Norfolk, VA Norva 12/02 Richmond, VA National 12/06 Maplewood, MN The Myth 12/07 KPNT 105.7 The Point's Ho Ho Show 12/09 How The Edge Stole Christmas Read More
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A band comes along every now and then that has the ability to shock and shake you. There’s just something about them that draws you in and sends you into a transcendental state of blissed-out musical euphoria. Most of the time these said bands are going to be from Britain (hey, you know it’s true). Glam-rock-indie band The Struts, from Derby, England, have been gaining some impressive momentum with their first full-length album Everybody Wants, and now they’re touring the country promoting their US debut EP ‘Have You Heard’. This past Wednesday they took the stage at the Troubadour here in L.A., with native band The Shelters opening. Relevant to the hype of this amazingly dynamic foursome, this particular Struts show sold out hours after tickets went on sale.
The Troubadour is the Mecca for intimate shows and quintessential rock ‘n’ roll vibes. It’s a low-key venue where musicians and industry people go to give a nod and get introduced to outrageous talent- new and old. The Shelters are an upbeat indie rock band from L.A., and their track ‘The Ghost is Gone’ is a nice psychedelic blend of old school rock and droned out 90’s wave. While listening to them from the balcony I glanced behind me and noticed Tom Petty bobbing his head and clapping his hands while the guitarist did a solo. Legends eyeing potential legends, ya dig?
While the stage was being set up for The Struts I ran downstairs to get a good spot on the floor. Looking up I noticed that backstage (which is actually just an upstairs with thin little curtains in plain view of the audience) you could see the band having a little photo shoot and jumping around the room, perhaps getting out any last-minute jitters before the performance. The lights dim and the crowd starts to get amped, and while rainbow-colored lights hit the stage, the theme song from The Neverending Story starts and sends a chill of nostalgia over the room... while also sending a message loud and clear that we’re in for a special and intoxicatingly entertaining treat.
The crowd packs in closer to the stage as the theme song ends and the room goes quiet. Finally Adam Slack (guitar), Jed Elliott (bass), and Gethin Davies (drums) race down the stairs and hop on their instruments. Moments later frontman Luke Spiller rushes the stage donned in an oversized glistening tunic and black shiny pants. These guys have the chemistry of The Beatles with the stage presence of Zeppelin to boot. They go right into ‘Roll Up’, with Luke howling into the mic “Now, whatever I wear, it’s gotta have flare, so you people can stare...Everybody wants, everybody wants, roll up, roll up, roll up for satisfaction.”
The whole band is smiling and having the time of their lives, and they leave caution to the smoky haze that fills their set. Their sound may be smart and fundamental enough for massive radio play, but they carry textures of uplifting rock ‘n’ roll tunes that hold true to that raw, uncut kind of feeling. “Los Angeles, can you dance?” Luke inquires to a sea of admiring fans. “Can you sing?” He continues on to conduct a yelling contest from opposite sides of the crowd. The energy is through the roof and Luke is dripping golden glitter. “Glitter in the eyes, I don’t recommend it.”
Next up the band goes into their massive hit ‘Could Have Been Me’. This song is about going after your dreams and never giving up, and it is an instant crowd pleaser. There’s a difference between pretentious egomaniacs who just want attention and the true soul of Rock Gods. Rock Gods have a way of connecting with people, of energizing their audience in a way that turns it into a universal feeling; making it about humanity. The Struts, though a rather young band, seem to have mastered this in that they are immensely generous to their fans. Must be one of the reasons they opened for The Rolling Stones last year in Paris (where their following is HUGE). This band is flawless and seems to have been playing together for much longer than 3 years. Baby-faced Adam is a killer guitar player and shined in his solo on their next song ‘Kiss This’. Again, Luke encouraged the audience to sing along with him, and we gladly complied. “When I say jump, you fucking jump!” This kid is a riot, and I believe he was born to galvanize the music world.
After a quick wardrobe change Luke returns wearing a fringed black cape ensemble (this guy’s got incredible style, and is creating his own brand of clothing called Beautifully Strange). Think David Bowie in The Labyrinth meets Lou Reed meets Freddie Mercury. “There’s a thunderstorm outside...and we wanna bring it in here!” He proceeds to get the people on the floor and sing with him “Na Na Na Na ooooo Na Na Na” and the likes of that for about 10 minutes. Talk about up close and personal... it really made me feel like I was back in elementary school at recess with a really rad group of playmates. These guys are making live shows fun again, and if anyone can make the known-to-be-stuffy crowd of Angelinos get on the floor and sing for a while, well, bravo...that’s a grand feet in and of itself.
“When we found out we sold out this legendary venue, our breaths were taken away.” Luke tells the crowd near the end of the show. He’s a mover and a shaker, and the rest of the band seems to recharge his batteries more and more with every song. It was a soaring ball of fire and fun for the entire night, and I truly wanted it to be endless. But alas, all good things must come to an end, but The Struts assured us they would be back soon, and with new material. They ended the night with the catchy rebel tune ‘Put Your Money on Me.’ After the show Adam told me they’d be back in February (Yay). With shows like these, I guess they won’t ever have to look back and say it “Could Have Been Me”. (I’m sorry, I had to.)
The Troubadour is the Mecca for intimate shows and quintessential rock ‘n’ roll vibes. It’s a low-key venue where musicians and industry people go to give a nod and get introduced to outrageous talent- new and old. The Shelters are an upbeat indie rock band from L.A., and their track ‘The Ghost is Gone’ is a nice psychedelic blend of old school rock and droned out 90’s wave. While listening to them from the balcony I glanced behind me and noticed Tom Petty bobbing his head and clapping his hands while the guitarist did a solo. Legends eyeing potential legends, ya dig?
While the stage was being set up for The Struts I ran downstairs to get a good spot on the floor. Looking up I noticed that backstage (which is actually just an upstairs with thin little curtains in plain view of the audience) you could see the band having a little photo shoot and jumping around the room, perhaps getting out any last-minute jitters before the performance. The lights dim and the crowd starts to get amped, and while rainbow-colored lights hit the stage, the theme song from The Neverending Story starts and sends a chill of nostalgia over the room... while also sending a message loud and clear that we’re in for a special and intoxicatingly entertaining treat.
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The Struts
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Next up the band goes into their massive hit ‘Could Have Been Me’. This song is about going after your dreams and never giving up, and it is an instant crowd pleaser. There’s a difference between pretentious egomaniacs who just want attention and the true soul of Rock Gods. Rock Gods have a way of connecting with people, of energizing their audience in a way that turns it into a universal feeling; making it about humanity. The Struts, though a rather young band, seem to have mastered this in that they are immensely generous to their fans. Must be one of the reasons they opened for The Rolling Stones last year in Paris (where their following is HUGE). This band is flawless and seems to have been playing together for much longer than 3 years. Baby-faced Adam is a killer guitar player and shined in his solo on their next song ‘Kiss This’. Again, Luke encouraged the audience to sing along with him, and we gladly complied. “When I say jump, you fucking jump!” This kid is a riot, and I believe he was born to galvanize the music world.
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Think David Bowie in The Labyrinth meets Lou Reed meets Freddie Mercury....
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“When we found out we sold out this legendary venue, our breaths were taken away.” Luke tells the crowd near the end of the show. He’s a mover and a shaker, and the rest of the band seems to recharge his batteries more and more with every song. It was a soaring ball of fire and fun for the entire night, and I truly wanted it to be endless. But alas, all good things must come to an end, but The Struts assured us they would be back soon, and with new material. They ended the night with the catchy rebel tune ‘Put Your Money on Me.’ After the show Adam told me they’d be back in February (Yay). With shows like these, I guess they won’t ever have to look back and say it “Could Have Been Me”. (I’m sorry, I had to.)
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The Struts at Troubadour, West Hollywood (14 October 2015) |
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