Fantastic Rock N Roll, a Special Report
All Photos © 2019 MELANIE SMITH, Words By JARED MUSSON
MANCHESTER – UK glam rockers, The Struts, took to the stage in Manchester last night to embark on a tour which sees them return to their homeland, and they did it all with swagger and style.
The band have found great success touring around America in recent years but hadn’t quite created the same burst of excitement back in Britain. There was a successful tour in the U.S., including a show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles that went through the roof.
Though, things may be turning around for the group as their return to the UK brings with it a tour that is filled with energy, fantastic production, great fun, and most importantly showcases The Struts as one of the best live bands around right now.
There’s no questioning why the tour is entitled ‘The Young and Dangerous Tour’, as almost every song from that record was performed on the night. The group strutted (pardon the pun) onto the stage and kicked off the show with ‘Primadonna Like Me’ and ‘Body Talks’, which were the two lead singles from their latest record. An instantly explosive performance, and the first thing that hits you as an audience member is the shining glimmer of the outfits being worn by each member of the band; they truly go all in with the glam rock look. The next thing that’s instantly noticeable, is the tremendous vocal ability of front man Luke Spiller. The power of his voice more than backed up the swagger he flew around the stage with.
“If you’re not ready to dance and let yourself go you might as well fuck off now”, declares Spiller before demanding that everyone in attendance should get their hands in the air. The energy of the audience feeds directly into the band as all four members bounce their way through the performance. The Struts come across so convincingly in what they do because everyone puts their full effort in; they’re here to have a good time and they want you to have one to.
Their debut record gets some love with the odd track chirping in such as ‘Dirty Sexy Money’ and ‘Mary Go Round’, which help to bolster out the setlist and allow the band to take a break from performing solely new material. A cover of the hit song ‘Dancing in the Street’ is performed and works well to keep the audience uplifted before the group fall back on some of their most beloved work to see them through to the end of the show. ‘Put Your Money on Me’ goes off like a firework, igniting the Manchester Academy, and causing many a leather jacket wearing attendee to lose themselves to the music. Every soul in the building were pleading for more as the group waved goodbye and left the stage.
With the band now truly controlling the audience like puppets on strings, it was time for them to finish off what they’d aimed out to accomplish and take the stage for their encore. Spiller now on the piano for ‘Ashes (Part 2)’, had the mass of Manchester music lovers swaying their way through the song before sending them into a frenzy with The Struts signature hit ‘Could Have Been Me’.
After successfully heating up a cool October night and conquering a rowdy Mancunian crowd, The Struts made an exit for the last time. The band will be moving onto the next town straight away but, they’re likely already feeling that UK domination is in their grasp.
All words by Jared Musson, find him on Twitter here.
All photos by Melanie Smith
The Struts at The Wiltern in Los Angeles – Primadonna Like Me – S Tuazon
All Photos © 2019 Melanie Smith
All photos by Melanie Smith of www.mudkissphotography.co.uk