W♥M

Flashback: Space at the Roxy, Hollywood (05 Mar 1997) (Cancelled)

Read More Space Space was a short-lived band from Liverpool. The most interesting thing about the band is that singer, Tommy Scott sounds like he's trying to be Mexican. You can hear it in the way he rolls his "R"s. …

They had a whole segment on Liverpool’s Space in the four-hour Britpop documentary… and it made me think about this quirky little band. I love them. I know I went to see them play live in 1997… yet, I have very little, or no memory of seeing the band play. I remember going to Los Angeles with my friend Melinda to see Space. I remember going inside the venue. I remember thinking it wasn’t a very big venue, and that it was … club-ish. Still, why can’t I remember the band? It didn’t help that the band’s name is nearly impossible to find any information about Space in Los Angeles in 1997. Believe me, I’ve tried to look up any information to help me jog my memory.

Even in 2016, I admitted not remembering: “I think for their first US tour, we caught the band in Los Angeles in 1997 (?). It’s been a long time, but it was their first LA gig from what I can recall.”

Well, I asked my fellow Britpop friends if they remember the Space in Los Angeles show, and someone was also there (although we didn’t know each other back then). She told us that the Space show was cancelled at the last minute! It hit me like a ton of brick… it all suddenly all made sense: why I remember going to see Space, yet have absolutely no memory of the show.

You know that scene in Usual Suspect? That was my Keyser Söze moment. All the memories started flooding back. Now it made sense why we watched the music video to “Female of the Species” on the screen of the venue as a consolation prize, and why people started leaving the Roxy dance floor.

According to Wikipedia: “A tour of the US followed in mid-1997, which was less successful than many had hoped, with stories of homesickness and, in Murphy’s, case a severe nervous breakdown, as well as Scott losing his voice for two months.”

Space 2023 Tour

I still love the band, of course. Maybe, if they ever come back to the USA, I will be first in line to see them … now knowing that it would be for the first time.

Currently, the band is on their 25th Anniversary Tour.

The band writes:

It's a Pleasure to Announce our 25th Anniversary Tour and more - Spiders/Tin Planet/LYMTF/Sub RnR/50FT Kebab/GMYF/MFPMFP.

Our Website Is Being Edited As We Speak.
With Ticket Links
www.spacebanduk.co.uk

07/27 Longdon, App Fest 07/29 Bideford, Palladium Club 09/09 Huddersfield, The Parish 09/29 Oxford, O2 Academy2 09/30 Ashford, Revelation 10/06 Norwich, Norwich Arts Centre

10/07 Cambridge, Mash Cambridge 10/20 Newport (Isle of Wight), Strings Bar & Venue 10/28 Schwetzingen, Germany Alte Wollfabrik 11/10 Leicester, O2 Academy2 12/02 Hertford, Hertford Corn Exchange 12/08 Birkenhead, Future Yard

Space at The Roxy, Hollywood (05 Mar 1997) (Cancelled)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

The Struts at Troubadour, West Hollywood (14 October 2015)

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 The Struts Breakout U.K. band The Struts will be stopping by First Avenue this September 17th, in support of their hit Have You Heard EP (Interscope Records), with single "Could Have Been Me". …

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 Struts

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.

Think David Bowie in The Labyrinth meets Lou Reed meets Freddie Mercury....

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 Struts at Troubadour, West Hollywood (14 October 2015)

jess ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic