Photo credit Ben Cope
The Struts Rock City Review
There’s something quintessentially British about The Struts. As they hit the Nottingham Rock City it’s clear they’re one of the few bands along with the Darkness who still embody the UK glam of early Queen and The Rolling Stones.
It’s more than just their songs, it’s an attitude. It’s about rock n’ roll and about keeping it sexy. Therefore it’s with some twisted irony that The Struts have found immense success in the US, having opened for the greats such as Guns N’ Roses and the Foo Fighters. The latter of which dubbed them “the best opening band we’ve ever had.”
This is also the first time we’ve seen charismatic singer Luke Spiller live since 2022’s Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert. In what must have been a career highlight for the self-confessed Freddie Mercury fanatic, Luke fronted Queen at Wembley Stadium as they celebrated his friend’s life. Often borrowing inspiration from Freddie’s frock drawer, Luke made the mature choice to sing his heart out without impersonation. It was an epic moment that gracefully handled a crowd that had spent the entire day screaming for Queen. Luke also proved that he’s a stadium performer with the moves and voice to match.
And at the Nottingham Rock City The Struts perform like they’re headlining Wembley. This is the first night of their UK & European tour, which is almost a home gig for the Derby band. The Struts come out to huge cheers, all dressed in black except for Luke who sports a Union Jack style jacket as he goes full-on 80s Jagger. This is the return of the front man, accompanied by big hair and gymnastic guitars.
For The Strutters every song is an encore
The band look glorious tonight, with each member channeling a different era of rock. Guitarist Adam Slack is all big hair and even bigger grins; he must surely be the happiest man in rock and it’s infectious. Replete with leather waistcoat, drummer Gethin Davies could be the son of Lemmie. And in a black silk shirt, bassist Jed Elliot looks like he fell off the boy band truck & started rocking.
By the time second song ‘Body Talk‘ is played, the room is one hot sweaty mass. I’ve never been to a gig where people are shouting “More!” after the first song. For Struts fans, better known as ‘The Strutters‘, every song is an encore.
The band burst into ‘Too Good at Raising Hell‘, which has become an instant Struts classic. The crowd go wild for their latest single, which is incredible for a song that, to our ears at least, is only 4 weeks old.
The Struts storm through their wealth of hits, with Luke asking “Are there any primaddona’s here?” before blasting into ‘Primadonna Like Me‘, which is Def Leppard party rock at its best. Later, it’s lights out as Luke gets the house spots not only dimmed but completely turned off. The Rock City is thrust into darkness before being lit entirely by people’s phones. The loved up crowd then smooch to ‘Mary Go Round‘ which channels Scorpion’s ‘Wings of Change’, minus the whistling.
A band on the cusp of greatness
An excellent glammed up cover of Lorde’s ‘Royals’ comes next, that’s so delicious it could easily be a single. This is followed by a 70s inspired guitar instrumental. Adam’s playing is Slash-like, with shades of Hendrix, before leading into the super heavy Tom Morello collaboration ‘Wild Child‘.
This is a band on the cusp of true greatness. In the US they’re already playing arenas, so it’s a privilege to see them in the relatively intimate surroundings of the Rock City. The Strutters are a beautiful and dedicated bunch and the venue is filled with repeat offenders. Luke asks if there’s any first timers and it’s a minority of the audience. Luke welcomes them to “The Struts family” and that’s really what it feels like. Everyone is part of something special.
For ‘Put Your Money on Me‘ Luke gets the audience to crouch right down. This is amazing and something I’ve never seen before. The Rock City always boasts a mix of ages and like a great rock n’ roll conductor, Luke gets even the most arthritic of knees to make the journey to the ground.
Such is the unified enthusiasm, it feels like the entire gig has been one big homecoming lap of honour. The Struts finish their set aptly with the classic ‘Could Have Been Me‘. The band then take their bows to the ‘Only Fools and Horses’ theme ‘Hooky Street‘. It can’t get more British than that, and I really hope they end all their gigs this way to confused Europeans and Americans.
The Struts deliver everything you’d expect and more. This is a band that are one ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ off mega-stardom and along with The Darkness, they are by far the best British rock band born the wrong side of the 70s.
Rating 9/10
UK & European tour dates
10 August – Rock City, Nottingham, UK
11 August – O2 Ritz, Manchester, UK
12 August – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
14 August – Vega, Copenhagen, Denmark
16 August – Debaser Strand, Stockholm, Sweden
18 August – Vulkan Open Air, Oslo, Norway*
19 August – Parkenfestival, Bodo, Norway*
21 August – Gloria Theater, Cologne, Germany
22 August – Utrecht Tivolivredenburg, Utrecht, Netherlands
23 August – Trabendo, Paris, France
25 August – Magnolia Summer, Milan, Italy*
26 August – Beat Festival, Empoli, Italy*
*Festival
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