THE STRUTS CELEBRATE 10 YEARS IN BROOKLYN
BROOKLYN PARAMOUNT — BROOKLYN, NY
At exactly 9:15 PM on Friday, August 22, in Brooklyn, New York, the lights dimmed, the strobes went wild, followed by 3,000 eager fans. One by one, the four eye-lined, sequin-clad members of The Struts truly did strut onto stage. First was drummer Gethin Davies, followed by Adam Slack with his English flag guitar in tow, then bassist Jed Elliot, and last—and certainly the most—was singer Luke Spiller. Spiller commands the crowd with the kind of authority and showmanship most frontmen can only dream of. One thing was instantly clear: Luke Spiller loves the stage and the stage loves him.
Originally hailing from Derby, United Kingdom, The Struts have made their way across the pond on their 36-date tour celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album, Everybody Wants. Playing the album from front to back, the energy was more electric than it was nostalgic. Almost like it was a brand new tour—a testament to the timelessness of Everybody Wants. Even those in the very back of the room—the unspoken gathering spot for those too shy or too cool to dance outwardly—couldn’t stop their feet from tapping and hands from clapping. The venue, The Brooklyn Paramount was originally opened as a jazz palace in 1928, then serving as a professional basketball court before finally being taken over and reopened as a modern concert venue in mid 2024 by Live Nation. Suffice it to say, these four walls have seen some iconic stars over the years.
Before getting into Everybody Wants the band opened with “Primadonna Like Me” inviting the audience to leave behind their worries and get lost in the glitz, glam, and shaggy hair of rock and roll. Leading directly into their 2018 sophomore album opener, “Body Talks,” Luke leaned in towards the front row of fans with outstretched arms holding friendship bracelets, and the chaos ensued.
Originally released on March 4, 2015, Everybody Wants opens up swinging with “Roll Up”. A true ode to Glam rock, down to Spiller’s signature rolled R’s, which were in no short supply throughout the night. Only three songs in, and The Struts were only pressing harder on the gas pedal into “Could Have Been Me." The crowd becomes deafening as the band belts the line “I can’t hear you,” shouting back the lyrics to this anthem about following your dreams: a common theme for The Struts. The lights were cut, and the phone flashlights illuminated as the band slowed things down for a piano rendition of “Mary Go Round.” For a brief moment, the band and crowd could catch their breath before charging full speed ahead at the rest of the album.
One thing that struck me was the sheer diversity of the crowd. While introducing “Dirty Sexy Money” Spiller asked a 10-year-old (who very well may not have even been alive when this album was released) in the front row what she wanted to be when she grew up. He said that when he was her age, he dreamed of being a ballet dancer, joking that, “in a lot of ways I’ve fulfilled that dream because I get paid to get up here and shake my ass for you every night.” He then proceeded to immediately shake his ass.
In “Young Stars” and “These Times Are Changing” the band comes to terms with their newfound fame, and even now, ten years later, the lyrics still feel relevant as the band continues to carve their path forward. Since the release of Everybody Wants, The Struts have stayed busy, releasing 3 studio albums and several non-album singles. They’ve opened for a number of rock n’ roll legends: The Rolling Stones, Guns n’ Roses, The Who, and the Foo Fighters to name a few. After closing out the show with an encore of “Pretty Vicious” off their 2023 album Pretty Vicious, the band took their final bow, and you could truly feel they’d given everything and then some to the audience.
The Struts fall into an elite category of performers where familiarity with their catalog is entirely unnecessary to find yourself totally enthralled in the show, knowing you’ll be riding this glittery high for days to come. From Spiller’s soaring vocals to Slack’s crispy guitar solos and Gethin’s barefoot drumming, The Struts are a must-see. If you are lucky enough to find yourself in the same city as The Struts, don’t walk, run—or better yet, strut—to the box office for an unforgettable night of modern-day rock and roll.
