The Struts hit the nation`s second city as they return to the UK and Europe for a run of dates, entitled The Grand Union Tour, with British singer Barns Courtney, who has been appearing as the Special Guest on their mammoth `Pretty Vicious` US headline tour. A co-headliner with a kind of rotating schedule each night.
In Birmingham tonight, Barns takes the opening duty slot and shares an hour of high energy with a mixture of intense rock grooves. He`s performed on popular US late-night talk shows and previously opened for industry heavyweights such as The Who, Blur, The Libertines, Ed Sheeran, and The Kooks so it was no surprise that the crowd greeted him with such enthusiasm.
He released his third album `Supernatural` in July and shared not only the reflective title track from this release but also the tongue in cheek `National Treasure` and a couple of cuts from his `404` album with `99` and `London Girls` which sounded fairly tribal live. But the majority of tonight’s set came from his 2017 debut album `The Attractions Of Youth` with `Kicks`, the rhythmic `Hands` which had the audience clapping along, thoughtful `Golden Dandelions`, the delightfully anthemic and hypnotic `Glitter & Gold` before leaving us with the blistering `Fire`. Barns Courtney was the perfect foil for the Struts tonight and a smart choice of co-headliner.
I reviewed The Struts debut album on re-release eight years ago as they were taking the US by storm and tonight I finally get to see them live. This retro glam rock quartet are massive in America and have toured with the likes of Slash and Queens of The Stone Age, opened for the Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, The Who and Guns N’ Roses and played festivals like Lollapalooza and Governors Ball, and headlined their own globe-spanning tours but tonight it`s a chilly October night in Birmingham.
Luke Spiller, Adam Slick, Jed Elliot and Gethin Davies hit the stage and open up with `Primadonna Like Me` with it`s kind of Stones swagger, a track from the `Young & Dangerous` release and no better a marker to lay down. There`s also `In Love with the Camera` which has a The Darkness vibe and the enticingly edgy `Body Talks` from the same release.
We enjoy a couple tracks from the guys` latest release `Pretty Vicious` released just under a year ago with the title track, the descriptive `Too Good At Raising Hell` and `Better Love` which Luke shares as the fans most requested song prior to the tour.
The fellas share a new song in `Can`t stop Talking` which hasn`t even been recorded yet and has all and sundry singing along with the `ooh ooh ooh` choruses. But a fair proportion of the set is culled from the band`s debut album `Everybody Wants` with `Dirty Sexy Money` a song the late Freddie would have killed for, `The Ol` Switcheroo` where ringmaster Luke co-ordinates the synchronised audience arm waving and singing, along with the enticing `Kiss This`. The thumping `Put Your Money On Me` and the anthemic `Could Have Been Me` close out the show as the frontman heads in and out of this captivated crowd.
Tonight was a masterclass of pomp, ceremony and showmanship from a band who have a delightfully infectious charm about them. It was high octane, flamboyant and at times sleazy but the band managed to mesmerise this audience with their onstage swagger and musicianship and Spiller’s unbridled energy.
There are only three remaining shows in the UK so you`ll have to get a shift on if you wanna Get Your Rocks Off.
