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The Struts
Luke Spiller, lead singer of The Struts
Luke Spiller, lead singer of The Struts
Background information
OriginDerby, England
GenresIndie rock, glam rock
Years active2010–present
LabelsVirgin EMI
Interscope
MembersLuke Spiller - vocals
Adam Slack - guitar
Jed Elliott - bass
Gethin Davies - drums
Past membersJamie Binns - bass
Rafe Thomas - drums
Websitethestruts.com

The Struts are an English indie glam band. Influenced by Queen, the Rolling Stones, Oasis and the Libertines, the Struts have been described as "unabashedly over the top retro-fetishist classic rock," "glamourous and dangerous" and as "having a chance to spark a real rock revival with their hooky glam sound, which manages to pay tribute to the classics, while remaining impeccably modern."[1][2][3][4]

History

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Singer/songwriter Luke Spiller was raised in Bristol. As the child of strict Christians, his exposure to music was mainly limited to gospel music until he was seven, when he discovered Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. Inspired by Jackson, his first aspirations were to be a contemporary dancer, but by 11, he was listening to Led Zeppelin, Queen, AC/DC amd Leonard Cohen, and in addition to looking in the mirror and pretending to be Jackson, he was pretending to be Bon Scott and Freddie Mercury. He began playing in bands as a teenager.[2][5][6][7]

In 2009, Spiller -- then living in Clevedon -- met Derby-based guitarist/songwriter Adam Slack, who had also been playing with bands since his teens. At the time, each of their bands were "coming apart," and Slack and Spiller quickly connected musically. Spiller moved to Derby, where he and Slack lived, wrote and recorded together for three years. They recruited mutual friends Jamie Binns and Rafe Thomas to play bass and drums. In 2012 Binns and Thomas were replaced with bassist Jed Elliott and drummer Gethin Davies.[8][8][9]

They chose the band name The Struts based on an offhand comment made at a rehearsal. "I was just moving around and somebody was like, you strut around a lot. From then on, we knew we had a great name. We couldn’t believe it hadn’t been taken," Spiller said in a 2015 interview.[2][10][6][7]

The band played frequently in and around the English Midlands and throughout the UK. They soon developed a following, and The Struts released their first single “I Just Know” in June 2012. Signed by Future Records, they were transferred to Virgin EMI after Future's demise and put out a four song EP, Kiss This, on the label. They toured extensively in England and France, and in 2014 performed for 80,000 people as the opener for The Rolling Stones in Paris. During the summer of 2014, they did a 24-date tour which included a gig at the Isle of Wight Festival. Spiller wore clothing designed for him by Zandra Rhodes, who formerly dressed Freddie Mercury of Queen. The production of the outfit was later featured on the BBC documentary Oh You Pretty Things: The Story of Music and Fashion.[11] [12]

As The Struts reputation as a live band grew, their audience increased, and their shows were frequently sold-out. Spiller's talent as a frontman was often noted by the press and reviews described him as "a force of nature" and as a "physical, mesmerising entertainer...vocally strong, expressive and blessed with excellent range." Mike Oldfield, looking for a rock vocalist with a broad range to sing on his album Man on the Rocks was instantly pointed toward Spiller. "I went online and thought: yeah. He did a much better job of sounding like a rock star than me.”[13][14][15]

Everybody Wants, a studio album, came out in July 2014. It charted in the UK and received positive reviews.[12][16] In early 2015, The Struts signed to Interscope Records and in August of that year the EP Have You Heard? came out. Their first US release, they began a tour of the States in support of the record in September. 20 dates were sold out, including the band's Los Angeles debut at The Troubador which sold out in 30 minutes.“Could Have Been Me,” the lead single, hit #4 on the iTunes rock singles chart and in the Top 10 on the US alternative and active rock charts. The video for the track, directed by Jonas Ackerland, had more than 1.5 million views within two months of its Vevo debut. [4]

The Struts relocated to Los Angeles in early 2015. Their first television appearance in America was on Jimmy Kimmel in August 2015, and in September they were named "Band on the Verge" by USA Today.[17][8]

Discography

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Albums

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EPs

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  • Kiss This (Virgin, 2013)
  • Have You Heard? (Interscope, 2015)

Singles

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  • 2012 "I Just Know"
  • 2013 "Could Have Been Me"
  • 2014 "Kiss This"
  • 2015 "Could Have Been Me" (US)

References

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  1. ^ Buchanan, John D. "The Struts". All Music. All Music Guide. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  2. ^ "The Struts, Hello Operator, Titan's Troubadours". Fibbers. Fibbers. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b Hissong, Samantha (16 October 2015). "THE STRUTS HIT THE STATES". Hits Daily Double. Hits. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  4. ^ Probert, Sarah (20 May 2014). "Indie Newcomers Ready to Strut Their Stuff". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  5. ^ a b B., Jackie (30 May 2014). "The Struts Devon Frontman is Ready to Seize the Crown". Western Morning News. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  6. ^ a b Tilles, Jay (30 September 2015). "The Struts Channel Classic British Rock Icons". radio.com. Radio. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Ryan, Patrick (14 September 2015). "On The Verge: The Struts". USA Today. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  8. ^ Dyroff, Denny (13 September 2015). "On Stage". Coatesville Times. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  9. ^ Probert, Sarah (20 May 2014). "Indie Newcomers Ready to Strut Their Stuff". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  10. ^ "BBC Four - Oh You Pretty Things: The Story of Music and Fashion, Idols, Zandra Rhodes designs for Luke Spiller of The Struts". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  11. ^ a b Hawley, Zena (28 May 2014). "The Struts: Derby band to support Rolling Stones in Paris gig". Derby Telegraph. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  12. ^ News Desk (24 May 2014). "The Struts announce debut album 'Everybody Wants'". Music News. Music News. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  13. ^ Gislena, Anna (30 October 2014). "The Struts - Dingwalls, Camden - October 21 2014 (Live Review)". Steroboard. Stereoboard. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  14. ^ "Mike Oldfield interview: 'I am a man of extremes'". Telegraph. 7 March 2014. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Eric Clapton and Friends take on Ed Sheeran in this week's albums race". Official Charts. Official Charts. 30 July 2014. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  16. ^ Marotta, Michael (21 August 2015). "Rock Lives: The Struts conquer 'Jimmy Kimmel Live', set a course for American glory". Vanyaland. Vanyaland. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
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Official website

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