Review: The Struts

KP Photography

Amazing is probably an understatement when talking about the concert of the U.K. rockers, The Struts, on Tuesday night at Bogart’s.

Joining them on their DirtySexySummer Tour, “After Midnight” hit maker Dorothy.  The whole concert experience well exceeded the expectation of most first-timers and left their audience with a show that they definitely will never forget.

It all started when opener, Dorothy, took the stage and wowed the crowd with their energy and sultry, rock-n-roll sound. Their sound is like Grace Potter and The Nocturnals mixed with Rock Mafia.

Lead singer, Dorothy Martin’s, raspy-blues voice really stuck a chord with the audience during her 40-minute set.

They performed songs such as “After Midnight,” “Raise Hell,” and “Dark Nights,” off of their latest album, Rockisdead.  The ending of their performance was probably the best, when Martin asked the audience about their favorite type of liqueur, which then ended their part of the show with “Whiskey Fever.”

This is not the first time Dorothy stopped by the city.  They came to the Taft Theater back in April along with Halestorm and Lita Ford.

Dorothy

As soon as The Struts drummer Gethin Davies, guitarist and vocalist Addo Slack, bassist and vocalist Jed Elliot walked on stage, the crowd cheered and their excitement fulfilled even more when glam-rock lead vocalist Luke Spiller came on the stage to the sounds of “I Just Know” and “Roll Up.”

The intensity of the room skyrocketed right at that moment and continued throughout the whole show.  

Touring in support of their latest album, Everybody Wants, and EP, Have You Heard, the band are working on new music which could be coming out soon.

Hits like “Could Have Been Me” and “Kiss This” were some favorites from the crowd. Right before they performed “Kiss This,” Spiller turned around with his back facing the stage, bent over, pointing toward his bottom and told everyone to “Kiss This.”  The whole crowd cheered.

Struts

As the concert went along, they performed songs like “Merry Go Round” and “Dirty Sexy Money.” During “Let’s Make This Happen Tonight,” Spiller had split the audience and really controlled the audience by making the them repeat everything he said. It was almost like he was conducting them.  

Right before they played their next song, “Young Stars,” the band talked about how far they have come and how hard they have worked to get to where they are now. The reason Spiller brought this up is because the band has struggled to be known in their native country. In 2014, they had opened up for The Rolling Stones at their concert in Paris.  So France started paying attention to them. As soon as their music was brought over to the U.S., that was when radio stations started playing them more and within the last year they have received a lot of hype with “Kiss This” and “Could Have Been Me.”

With their big anthems, Spiller’s flashy costumes and dance moves really illustrate influence from the 70s. Everything from The Rolling Stones to Queen to even Michael Jackson is very vivid during their shows.

Struts

Even though their music is not quite like Queen or The Rolling Stones, there is also some influence from 90s alternative rock band, Oasis. That is what makes this band very memorable. They have influence from different musical legends, but are not trying to replicate them. The band has their own distinctive sound and intensity on stage that definitely brings people to want more. These guys easily could have played until midnight and people would have stayed.

They did come out for an encore and played a few more songs before it was time to leave. Spiller had interacted with fans one last time by squatting at the end of the stage close to the fans singing “Black Swan” and “Where Did She Go.”

With the limited amount of songs the band played, they really focused on entertainment and engaging with audience. Everything sounded and was superb the ENTIRE time including Dorothy’s performance. Both bands are definitely here to stay. Their show is a definite must see!

Check out our photo album of the show HERE!

The Struts Setlist
I Just Know / Roll Up

These Times Are Changing

Could Have Been Me

The Ol' Switcheroo

Kiss This

Mary Go Round

Dirty Sexy Money

Let's Make This Happen Tonight

Young Stars

Put Your Money on Me

Only Just a Call Away

Encore:

Black Swan

Play Video

Where Did She Go

 

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