The musicians in the Struts range from 31 to 34 years of age, but their music is rooted in the classic rock popularized a decade before they were born. Lead vocalist Luke Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott, and drummer Gethin Davies seem to have little use for the rap, punk, grunge, indie and pop movements of their generation. Instead, the British band, formed in 2012 in Derby, Derbyshire, bucked the contemporary music trends and competently absorbed all the integral elements of mid-1970s hard rock bands.
Veteran rockers cannot miss how much the Struts look and sound like Queen. Spiller discovered Queen’s music while in his mid-teens and immediately purchased Queen’s first two albums. Once in the Struts, Spiller sought the services of Freddie Mercury’s wardrobe designer. In 2021, the Struts even recorded a rousing version of Queen's 1977 hit “We Will Rock You,” originally to accompany a television advertisement. For the generations that never saw the original Queen perform live, the Struts today is as close as a music fan can get in a band playing original music.
Eleven years after starting as a band, the Struts still rock the vintage sound with an ever-increasing catalog of fresh-sounding songs. Since the 2020 release of Strange Days, the Struts’ third and most recent album, the band has released four non-album singles. The band will release its fourth album in November. Hence, the present tour does not coincide with the release of new product, except for "Too Good at Raising Hell," the only new music released so far in 2023.
At the Rooftop at Pier 17, the Struts understood the value of solidly-rehearsed music and show. The music was super-tight and the sound was ultra crisp, such that every note played or sung was projected clearly. The band dressed in glam wardrobe. Flashy stage moves were executed for bold effect. The spotlights were never wasted on the musicians.
Slack played stunning guitar leads, yet Spiller remained the consistently riveting presence on stage, with his strong vocals and dynamic moves. Spiller worked the audience without pause, asking the stage lights to be extinguished during “Mary Go Round” so the audience could light the space with cell phones. During “Put Your Money on Me,” Spiller took considerable time to lead a cheering contest.
The set had a few perhaps unexpected moments. The chance of lightning delayed the start of the program in the open-air venue. A few songs in, Spiller interrupted and restarted “The Ol' Switcheroo” when he saw a disturbance in the audience. Spiller and Slack performed a newer song, “Low Key in Love,” without the rhythm section. The band weaved together a medley which conjoined portions of six older and newer songs. The band started the two-song encore, played post-curfew due to a rain delay, with Spiller alone on the piano singing “Fire (Part 1),” during which a roadie placed a Freddie Mercury bobblehead toy on the piano. Towards the end of the show, a young woman in the audience held up a sign trying to get the attention of drummer Gethin Davies; the sign read, “Gethin, I’m pregnant.”
If this were the mid-1970s, the Struts would be one of the biggest bands in the world. A look at any sales chart will prove that rock music is in recession compared to other genres of music. Nevertheless, for those music fans who want good, clean rock music, their path will lead eventually to the Struts.
Setlist
Dirty Sexy Money
Body Talks
Fallin' With Me
Too Good at Raising Hell
Kiss This
Primadonna Like Me
All Dressed Up (with Nowhere to Go)
The Ol' Switcheroo
One Night Only
Mary Go Round
Low Key in Love
Medley: In Love With a Camera / Cool / Matter of Time / Wild Child / Can't Sleep / Somebody New
Royals (Lorde cover)
Pretty Vicious
I Do It So Well (>) Where Did She Go
Put Your Money on Me
Encore
Fire (Part 1)
Could Have Been Me
Related Articles
The Struts at Irving Plaza (2021)
The Struts at the Rooftop at Pier 17 (2019)
The Struts at Irving Plaza (2016)
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The Manhattan Beat reports on New York City's live music circuit. All articles are written by Everynight Charley Crespo. All photographs are taken by Everynight Charley Crespo, except when noted otherwise.
For a list of Manhattan venues that are presenting live music regularly, swing the desktop cursor to the right of the The Manhattan Beat home page and click on the pop-up tab "Where to Find Live Music."
For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's July calendar.
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