The Struts at Roundhouse

Despite their heavy affinity for classic glam rock sounds of the 80s, The Struts are a product of the early 2010s. When listening to their studio records, the quartet seemingly fits right alongside rock legends that came decades before them. Lead vocalist Luke Spiller and guitarist Adam Slack began writing together in 2009, and in 2012, their dreams came to life as bassist Jed Elliot and drummer Gethin Davies helped grow what the world now knows to be The Struts. Their eclectic charm has taken them to great heights as well as grand locations; as a part of their Grand Union Tour with Barns Courtney, the band headlined a special night at the Roundhouse on 6^th October.

As blaring sirens and bright, flashing lights ignited the venue, plastic cups filled with the reminisces of various hoppy beverages flew into the air; attendees scrambled to find the best spot amongst the already tightly-knit crowd and were not afraid of losing their pints because of it. The Struts were now the centre of attention, and as the alarms calmed down, they immediately transitioned into Primadonna Like Me to begin their full set. Spiller jumped, ran and danced all while singing effortlessly. By the fourth song of the night, Too Good at Raising Hell, each member of the band was dripping with sweat and had contagious smiles across their faces. The gig was nowhere close to its end, yet The Struts had already proved themselves to be a bonafide rock group.

The audience was taken back in time to experience the nostalgia of what a concert by one of the greats was like, especially during Dirty Sexy Money; as Spiller continued his journey across the stage with his impressive vocals, guitar riffs and bass lines by Slack and Elliot roared throughout the venue and Davies’s dominating drums complemented it all wonderfully. The band encouraged crowd involvement and interactions throughout the entire show, but hands were clapping, arms were swaying and bodies were in constant, simultaneous movement all within these four minutes. The magnetising vivacity of The Struts did not end there, of course.

The Ol’ Switcheroo was the main high point of the gig; all of the infectious energy from songs prior built up to this moment of community. The claps that are featured in the studio version were even more heartwarming as attendees sang and clapped together in real-time, almost as if the scene belonged in a film. Another highlight was during the unreleased Can’t Stop Talking that immediately followed; although the audience did not know the lyrics, the band made an effort to get the crowd fully focused with a fitting call-and-response, furthering this sense of togetherness.

The end of the night drew near, but in a final effort to go out with a bang, The Struts dialled up the already high crowd involvement to a ten as Spiller dipped down to split the pit in half for an applause competition; the band wanted to ensure that all in attendance were paying full attention, even until the very end, making for an epic and memorable finale with Put Your Money on Me and Could Have Been Me.

Overall, The Struts strut to the beat of their own intense drum; the ability to transport an entire venue to a different era of live performances is incredibly impressive, and they most definitely accomplished this at the Roundhouse. A Struts gig is not entirely about the band themselves: the four truly make an effort to demonstrate that listeners are just as important as the music, and the shows that will follow through until late October will surely hold the same uniqueness.

Taryn Crowley
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit The Struts’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Too Good at Raising Hell here: