The biggest rock band you haven't yet heard of - but now you will

You don't have any valid excuse to not listen to The Struts.

Oct 09, 2024

Another hit of showmanship by British rock band The Struts

I should have never said I’d do a third Culture Fix special about music in the midst of peak gig season.

Who has the time to write about music when I’m actually busy going to concerts? I haven’t recovered from one and I’m already due for the next. What was I thinking when I booked them? Have I not learned anything from previous gig seasons? Obviously not.

At least I don’t have to agonise about not sticking to a publishing schedule because there’s none. If you’re new to Abroad you should know this is a rather free-flowing space which is actually perfect for me. After the tax gate of these past few days and people in the UK worrying whether they may be committing fiscal evasion over pennies from a paid subscriber in Sri Lanka, writing a free newsletter feels the right choice for me as it removes the pressure to meet any publishing expectations and, more importantly, any overseas tax obligations.

From what I’ve gathered, it seems that turning on paid subscriptions and figuring out whether any tax is due in any of the territories you have paid subscribers in is as excruciating as applying for British citizenship was back in the day, when people spent sleepless nights retrieving emails from every flight they’d taken out of the UK in the last six years to make sure they could account for every day spent outside the country. I’m sure many people deeply regretted those seemingly inoffensive European city breaks in hindsight.

When

Substack

streamlines the collection of money across territories and makes it easier for writers to simply write and not lose sleep over the admin (perhaps now would be as good a time as any to implement that), I’ll jump at the opportunity. Just like I’ve done with the British citizenship.

In the meantime, and while the special Culture Fix on music is mixing (ah ah, mixing, like records) let me use this platform for what I’ve always intended it to be: educating people on things I love and believe others should know about because they may love them too. Which sounds a bit like the Derek Zoolander Centre for Kids who Can’t Read Good and Who Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good Too, if you think about it, but it’s meant in all earnest.

So let’s get to the point.

I’ve recently seen The Struts, one of my favourite bands, at The Roundhouse in London and they did not disappoint. I may have or may have not peed on my pants from the uncontainable excitement of finally being able to see them live after years waiting for that moment, and so I think everyone deserves to experience the same level of communion with their music.

Besides, this was quite a singular concert. The audience was an interesting mix of people in their 60s and pre-teens. These two groups were quite predominant and in fact I was seated to a boy that couldn’t have been older than 12 (his parents were seated next to him) and spent the last part of the concert jumping around a man in his 60s, who fist-bumped me and smiled at me when we left, as if to say “keep rocking, girl.” And they say rock and roll is dead… Certainly not with such a diverse audience.

In contrast, I didn’t see many mobile phones around. It struck me how few of them were out in sight. I’ve been to concerts where I could have sworn people were watching the bands play through their screens instead of live and couldn’t understand why they had bothered to buy a ticket. It wasn’t the case with The Struts so they must be doing something right.

I need to come clean and confess that I’m a biased audience when it comes to rock music because at the tender age of 18 I wrote an essay for our Spanish class at highschool about the power of rock as a vehicle for young people to channel their angst and rebel against the status quo of their time. I was in my Beatles era, learning about their music as well as their use of LSD as an enhancer of creativity, and I had a lot of feelings that needed an escape valve. Luckily I found it in their music, not their drug of choice.

While I can’t remember the words exactly, I do remember that this essay obtained the maximum grade and earned me the dubious honour of having the Spanish language teacher reading it in front of all my classmates. To my surprise, when he finished, everyone clapped in unison so I guess I struck a chord with my fervent analysis of rock music and its capacity to free the mind and the spirit of those who feel trapped by a system, or hormones. Both can be true depending on which phase of life you’re at. Rock after all has always been a form of transgression of the current state of play, whatever that might be.

Perhaps that’s why so many pre-teens were at The Struts concert? But what do they have to rebel against? To begin with their parents have already agreed to come with them to a show in London on a Sunday evening, at a time when most people in this country are past their bedtime and when an early start awaits on Monday.

If I had asked my parents to take me anywhere that wasn’t school before I was 18, I would have been met with a cold, indifferent look that would have made any further enquiries unnecessary. No wonder I liked rock music and had so much material for an essay despite never having been to a concert. I had plenty to rebel against.

And now, let me spend the next few minutes explaining with empiric musical evidence why we need to join forces to make The Struts the biggest rock and roll band of the XXI century.

Are you coming with me? Then let’s take a dive.

Who are these people to begin with?

The Struts are a British rock band from Derby which have been around for a while (according to their Wikipedia page since 2012 to be precise) and in their beginnings they played in small venues and did lots of covers, like one should. Their debut studio album Everybody Wants was originally released in 2014 but re-released in 2016 with new tracks and recordings of all previous tracks.

In 2014 the band left Derby for America and it proved to be a wise choice as they started getting attention and love in the US soon after the release of the singles Kiss This and Could Have Been Me. Their great sound comes from guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott and drummer Gethin Davies which combined with the amazing vocals of Luke Spiller, their frontman, was a winning formula since the beginning. The band name comes from the way Spiller moves around when performing which is a fitting choice.

In fact, Spiller’s looks and vocal timbre have drawn comparisons to Freddie Mercury since day one. There’s nothing this man can’t sing and the band can’t make their own and testament to that is this cover of Get Lucky from 2015.

Wait, I thought Artic Monkeys were the cool British rock band to listen to and that was settled. Aren't they cool anymore? Am I not cool for listening to them?

They’re still cool and making great music, don’t worry about that. However, The Car is perhaps not the most obvious sound that may come to mind when talking about rock music. All bands that have been around for a while evolve in their sound through the years and it’s only normal they incorporate different influences they themselves are absorbing.

In the case of Artic Monkeys even more so as they were barely 18 when I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor came out and it’s been a wild ride ever since. AM is a very different album to that angry, grungy rock of their beginnings -and one that made many people discover the band for that same reason- but so are the two albums Alex Turner has released as one half of The Last Shadow Puppets. If you are a fan of Artic Monkeys heavy guitar riffs era then you may enjoy The Struts music as well. You can always do The Ol’ Switcheroo and go back to what you know if you don’t like them.

Cristina, but you’ve said rock is the music of rebellion and I have nothing to rebel against.

Unless you are dead or an amoeba, and either scenario seems highly implausible because how would you be reading this then?, I’m quite sure that you do have something to rebel against regardless of social background or age, for rock is not only for the have nots or the young (a likely pairing but not necessary to enjoy this genre).

Whether it’s the big issues of today’s world like the rise of AI, the uncertainty of the job market, the steady worsening of living conditions for younger generations, the crisis of the healthcare system, the impossibility for people to find decent accommodation to live in at affordable prices or the small every day things that make existence an uphill struggle, there’s a reason that surely makes your blood boil and instigates rebellious thoughts.

If nothing comes to mind, think again of the Substack tax gate (if it applies to you) and if not, here are some other examples.

What about not finding your favourite mug in the kitchen cupboard and now every office day is ruined before it’s even started, or the sleazy heating engineer who promised to be in between 9 and 1 but it’s 3 pm and they’re nowhere to be seen so you’ve been kidnapped at your own house on a sunny day (criminal!), or the person who sat too close to you at the cinema when there were plenty of seats available, or the creepy guy who hit on you twice in a week at the same bookshop and didn’t even remember who you were, or the sleazy ways in which Amazon makes it impossible for you to find how to cancel that bloody 30-day trial membership when you only wanted to see the Pierce Brosnan Bond movies -why all this unnecessary suffering?-, or the downstairs family that cooks dead rats for lunch, judging by the smell, and makes your whole flat stink from 12 pm until they cook cockroaches for dinner at 5 pm - Jesus Christ what’s wrong with this lot???1

See? We all have something, whether big or small, to feel furious about and rock music can be the perfect vehicle to channel our frustrations, need for greater freedom, and combative spirit against the status quo.

However, if rebellion this is truly is beneath you, congratulations. You do it so well.

Without giving too much away, life has been extremely kind to me and there’s -I assure you- no reason for any rebelling. Well, with the exception of that silly suggestion about an increase of the wealth tax. Dreadful business, awful really. You can’t understand.

Oh how funny you should say that, dear! I’ve just happened to read about The Struts on Tatler Magazine. Can you believe it? Of all places! Apparently they even wrote a song about people like us. I know, darling, at long last. We finally have an anthem to dance to at Annabel’s.

I have things to rebel against but I am not a rock person and I’ve never liked rock music

That’s alright. Two of my exes didn’t like men until they did. Straight after being with me by the way. Never say never is all I’m saying.

My Strut recommendation for you to ease your entrance into this brand new world full of excitement and forbidden pleasures is Kiss This, the song that made me discovered The Struts thanks to a superb cover by Måneskin from 2017 when they took part in the Italian XFactor. I’m sure both of my exes would have appreciated this choice as well as Damiano David’s rendition.

I don’t mind rock but I’ve never found an uplifting, happy song to dance to. I’ll stick with my pop, but thanks anyway

Don’t leave just yet. I’m a sucker for a great pop song that gets you moving and singing the moment the first note hits. The kind of song that you love listening to while you go about your day and puts you in a good mood instantly. Levitating is a clear example of that. It plays and next thing you know you’re singing “you want me, I want you baby,” leaving everyone you cross paths with wondering whether you actually meant it.

Rock is not only spotty teenagers or sweaty men banging on guitars and screaming. It’s also glam, and oh don’t The Struts have tons of it? Primadonna Like Me is what you may need to change your mind about how rock can have you levitating like the best uplifting pop songs while you get ready to hit the town.

I’m an influencer, I don’t listen to rock unless it’s a paid promotion and can use it for a viral 15-second reel that wins me followers.

So many selfies, so little time!

The influencer life is indeed a cut-throat business. The wrong music choice and you’re out. The right one and people in the comments get feral trying to find out which song that is and engagement is through the roof. Well, in that case the only thing I can say is that there’s a perfect Struts song for you, too. It’ll probably remind you of another great rock song so you get 2x1.

Rejoice, I won’t ask you to do any reels or post any stories with it in exchange. But if you do, do you mind using the hashtag #rockandrollneverdies? 🤟👨‍🎤🎸 Thanks, your 15 seconds are over now.

This post is public. Please share it so others can find out about The Struts as well and can help them conquer the world.

I prefer songs about heartbreak and the impossibility of love in the modern age

That’s all very well. However, don’t overdose on Taylor Swift as if there was no tomorrow and try to open your mind, if not your heart, a tiny bit. If you give a chance to the acoustic version of Somebody New, you’ll realise this is a song you can cry to under the duvet in the middle of the night while you rethink every past situasionship you’ve been in and how you ended up there.

I do like rock but stopped being interested in new bands when Freddie Mercury died.

Whether you’re a Queen fan or not, we can’t deny their musical legacy and cultural relevance. Nor that of the great rock bands of the 60s, 70s and 80s that came before Queen and influenced them.

The good news is that Luke Spiller is often referred to as the secret child of Mercury for his vocal range, showmanship and even looks, not to mention his glam rock outfits which have been designed by Zandra Rhodes, who dressed Mercury and Brian May.

Salman 🐫 on X: "They deserve a head to head with The Struts since their vocalist is unique, giving us a 70's rock experience. The Struts vocalist, Luke Spiller, has an amazing — Separated at birth

The Struts have never hidden how much of an influence Queen has been on their music -as it’s been David Bowie, The Darkness, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, Oasis, The Libertines, The Smiths… and many others. They have talked about how they love to pay tribute to the music that has influenced them, to “steal” from it, but always making it theirs and creating a sound of their own, not a copy of anyone else’s. If you listen to their songs you’ll notice how that translates into their music and how there’s something familiar about their songs but you can’t quite put your finger on it. There’s a reason why they have opened for Guns n’ Roses, Foo Fighters, The Who and The Rolling Stones.

Pretty Vicious, the title track from their fourth studio album, which has received rave reviews, screams 80s rock all over it and it’s reminiscent of classics like Wicked Game or Slave to Love while having that contemporary rock sound. Critics agree that if there’s a band worthy of leading rock into the modern age, it would be The Struts.

Luke Spiller has also talked about how surreal it was for him to play alongside Bryan May and Roger Taylor at the tribute to Taylor Hawkins. A true validation of Spiller’s vocals and frontman charisma. Hawkins and Spiller had already played Under Pressure together on stage when The Struts were the opening band for the Foo Fighters’ Golden and Concrete tour and had plans to do a short tour with Queen songs before Hawkins suddenly passed away.

If you thought you couldn’t like rock again like you did and that all the good rock bands have already come and go, give The Struts a listen and let them surprise you.

I stopped being interested in music when the Spice Girls broke up

Girl, let’s not go there. Why did they have to split after just two albums? Didn’t we deserve the courtesy of a third? And no, I’m not counting that actual third album because Geri had left already.

Anyway, I’m glad to report that The Struts thought about keeping the girl power alive with their own cover of Stop, which is quite groovy and will have you dancing just like the original in no time. They’ve got the choreography covered too, so don’t worry if your moves are a bit rusty.

I was more of a Take That fan, to be honest. Still recovering from when Robbie Williams left but then he became the UK’s biggest act, and I quite liked his music. What do you have for me?

Even though I was a bit young to appreciate the emotional tsunami that the departure of Robbie Williams caused in the female teenage population at the time, I understand what you mean (see previous point).

I was quite a Robbie Williams fan myself as a solo artist (Escapology was a great album and contained underrated gems like Revolution) so I also have good news for you, boy band-turned-solo artist lover: The Struts have also collaborated with Robbie Williams in Strange Days, a song included in the homonymous album they recorded in a whopping 10 days during lockdown.

Sorry to burst your bubble, Cristina, but now that Oasis are back are you really expecting me to pay attention to any other British band right now?

OK, Britpopper, how long do you think Oasis will be back for before breaking up again? Don’t you have any siblings? I sincerely hope they stick around long enough to complete their reunion tour given how much the dynamic pricing has made everyone a few hundred pounds poorer. But yes, I have something you may be interested in. In fact, today it’s gonna be the day The Struts are going to throw it back at you.

Nothing against all the groups you’ve mentioned, but can I remind you that the Rolling Stones are still killing it? When you have something for me, I’ll listen.

Actually…

My jam is jazz/blues.

May I interest you in a sultry song with its fair share of sexy saxophone? By the way, this song gives off a strong James Bond main theme and I think could be a good base to work on one when that call finally comes. In the meantime, Spiller will release a new solo album next year where he’ll include the Bond song he and Taylor Hawkins composed for No Time To Die.

None of what you’ve said so far is making me the least bit curious about this so-called rock band. Sounds pretty mid. I’m a person of obscure taste. I listen to music styles that don’t even have a name by groups that no one has ever heard of. What a waste of time this has been.

Freak Like You it is then.

I like rock and I like the sound of The Struts but it’s hard to find bands that sound good live and can transmit the same energy they exude on their studio recordings. Or that don’t turn out to have zero charisma on stage and make the live experience feel completely flat. Rock music for me is all about the electrifying energy of a live performance.

I’ve had my share of musical disappointments in the past. But trust me on this, The Struts do put on a great show and you can throw Luke Spiller all your Dirty Sexy Money and it’ll be worth every penny for he will make you jump and sing and sweat without never missing a beat or a note. He’s a truly great frontman and proper rock star and the whole band sounds incredible live and will make everyone have a blast.

So what you’re saying is that…

If I could see them again right now, I would without blinking. The Struts are a band not to be missed live. They’re Too Good at Raising Hell. Catch them while you can in Europe as they’re currently on tour with Barns Courtney.

I didn’t know this band and I don’t listen to music regularly but after playing the songs you’ve been sharing here, I have been tapping my feet and moving around and even humming a bit. Is that normal? I was worried I was having a nervous fit.

You’re perfectly fine and simply experiencing the ordinary side effects caused by listening to music you connect with. This is how your Body Talks when rock music is in the house so embrace it and have fun.