The Struts

Delivering an expansive sonic presence and an abundance of confident attitude, the Struts function as a British rock ensemble whose hard-rock foundation receives a steady infusion of pop craft and draws clear inspiration from the peak era of U.K. glam. Numerous commentators have likened lead vocalist Luke Spiller’s vocal timbre and stage presence to those of the late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, while the band’s consistent reliance on memorable melodies and participatory choruses evokes a contemporary take on the methods once employed by Slade and Sweet during their most successful period. The Struts projected a sleek, assured, and playfully extravagant tone on their first full-length release, 2014’s Everybody Wants, whereas 2018’s Young & Dangerous incorporated the gloss of current pop and dance production into their starry-eyed rock attack. They launched the following decade with 2020’s Strange Days and tracks such as “Low Key in Love” alongside Paris Jackson, after which 2023’s Pretty Vicious sharpened their approach while retaining its impact.

Songwriter and frontman Luke Spiller joined forces with guitarist Adam Slack to establish the Struts. Spiller, raised in a Christian environment that initially limited his access to secular music, encountered Michael Jackson’s album Off the Wall at a young age and soon developed broader tastes; by eleven he had become an avid follower of AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, and Queen. At sixteen he began performing with local rock acts, and in 2009 he crossed paths with Slack while both were involved with groups nearing their end; they opted to combine efforts. Residing at the time in Derby, the pair began composing material together. Following three years of intensive preparation, Spiller and Slack felt ready to present their project live, enlisting bassist Jamie Binns and drummer Rafe Thomas for the initial lineup of the Struts. Binns and Thomas departed shortly afterward, replaced in 2012 by Jed Elliott on bass and Gethin Davies on drums. Steady concert activity helped the group build a following, leading to the 2012 release of their debut single “I Just Know” through Future Records. After Future ceased operations, Virgin-EMI took over; the label issued the first single “Could Have Been Me” in October 2013, followed by the EP Kiss This in April 2014 and the full album Everybody Wants three months later. The record achieved modest commercial traction, and Spiller’s rock-star persona earned him an appearance on Mike Oldfield’s 2014 album Man on the Rocks, prompting Oldfield to remark, “He did a much better job of sounding like a rock star than me.” Later that year the Struts were invited to open for the Rolling Stones in Paris before an audience of 80,000.

In 2015 the band secured a U.S. contract with Interscope, and their American introduction, the EP Have You Heard …, received a digital release in August. The project featured the then-two-year-old track “Could Have Been Me,” which climbed to the Top Ten on Rock Airplay and Top Five on Alternative Songs while reaching the Top 20 on both Mainstream Rock and Hot Rock Songs. “Kiss This” registered comparable gains, after which the Struts relocated from England to Los Angeles in 2015. Interscope issued an American version of Everybody Wants in 2016 that included several re-recorded songs and five additional tracks; the set peaked at number 15 on the Rock Albums chart. Live performances occupied most of the band’s calendar through the remainder of 2016 and much of 2017, as they supported the Who, Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, and the Foo Fighters. (Foo Fighters’ leader Dave Grohl singled out the Struts as the finest support act they had ever hosted.) A semi-acoustic EP, Live and Unplugged, also surfaced in 2017. Returning to the studio for their sophomore album, the Struts released Young & Dangerous in October 2018, which featured Kesha on “Body Talk”; the song reached number 15 on Hot Rock Songs, number 33 on Mainstream Rock, and number 12 on Alternative Songs. The group closed the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show with the number and embarked on touring that mixed headline dates with co-bills alongside the Foo Fighters. Their third album, Strange Days, appeared in October 2020 and contained “Another Hit of Showmanship” with the Strokes’ Albert Hammond, Jr. as well as the title track with Robbie Williams. Early 2021 brought the standalone single “Low Key in Love,” a collaboration with Paris Jackson. Another non-album release, “Fallin’ with Me,” followed in 2022. That year the Struts entered a new U.S. deal with Big Machine, and in 2023 the label reissued their cover of Lorde’s “Royals” (originally recorded for the 2014 Kiss This EP) as a digital single. Working with producer Julian Raymond on their fourth album—the first for the new label—the Struts issued Pretty Vicious in November 2023. A headlining North American tour ensued, complemented by Australian dates supporting Slash.