British rockers The Struts kicked off a sold out, two night stint at The House of Blues last Friday night. Despite it being a rainy, cold evening and the day after a holiday, by the time openers The Glorious Sons were wrapping up their set with a cover of “Gimme Shelter,” the theater was packed wall to wall with fans eager to see The Struts for the first time since their new album YOUNG&DANGEROUS came out.
After a stage changeover, The Struts burst onto the stage and were immediately greeting by thundering applause and cheers. Each band member sported a custom getup and lead singer Luke Spiller had painted glitter war stripes onto his face, giving them a glam rock aesthetic to match their sound and bravado. Opening up with “Primadonna Like Me” and “Body Talks” from the new album, the band immediately let the crowd know they were in for a wild ride with their magnetic and intense stage presence. Although Spiller later on addressed the end-of-tour slump any performer will surely experience from time to time, saying he was “absolutely knackered” after this recent run of shows, no one could have guessed it based on the band’s gusto that accelerated from the get go and only kept on going throughout the set. Spiller credited the crowd’s support as keeping them going during long stretches, adding that nights like tonight made it all worth it. Throughout the rest of the set, Spiller also encouraged positive energy and interaction amongst audience members; After performing new songs and a couple throwbacks like “Kiss This” from 2016’s Everybody Wants, Spiller prompted everyone to ask their neighbors to dance to their cover of “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen.
Nowadays, there’s never a shortage of new music being created and plenty of musicians can make a great record, but the same can’t be always be said for live shows. However, with The Struts, their live shows are something so magical, yet indescribable at times; it’s a force between the musicians onstage and between them and the audience…something so magnificent that it can drown out the outside world and let people escape with the music for a couple of hours. Perhaps it’s the seemingly natural ease of being on stage that exudes from frontman Spiller— he saunters across the stage, singing every word with intention while decked out in extravagant costumes, reminiscent of the greats like Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury— or maybe it’s the entire band’s love for rock’n’roll music that shines through in every song that they write, but The Struts’ performances have such a genuinely remarkable air about them. It’s that unique quality that keeps audiences coming back again and again— and perhaps why the audience on Friday was full of fans of all different ages and demographics. No matter the differences between the audience members, The Struts were able to bring everyone together through their music and give everyone another reason to smile on Friday night.
If you missed out on the incredible sold out shows, check out our photo gallery of the first night below.
