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The Struts

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The Struts
Luke Spiller performing in 2015.
Luke Spiller performing in 2015.
Background information
OriginDerby, Derbyshire, England
GenresGlam rock, hard rock
Years active2009–present
Labels
Members
  • Luke Spiller
  • Adam Slack
  • Jed Elliott
  • Gethin Davies
Past members
  • Jamie Binns
  • Rafe Thomas
Websitethestruts.com

The Struts are an English rock band from Derby, Derbyshire. The band consists of vocalist Luke Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott, and drummer Gethin Davies. Formed in 2009, the original lineup was composed of Spiller, Slack, bassist Jamie Binns and drummer Rafe Thomas.

The band's influences include Queen, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Def Leppard, The Smiths, Oasis, The Libertines, and My Chemical Romance. The Struts have been described as "unabashedly over the top retro-fetishist classic rock" and "glamourous and dangerous".[1][2][3][4]

History

Singer-songwriter Luke Spiller was raised in Bristol in a Christian family. His exposure to music was mainly limited to gospel music, until the age of seven, when he discovered Michael Jackson's Off the Wall. Inspired by Jackson, his first aspirations were to be a contemporary dancer, but by the age of 11, he was listening to Led Zeppelin, Queen, AC/DC, and Leonard Cohen, and in addition to pretending to be Jackson in front of a mirror, he was imitating Bon Scott and Freddie Mercury. He began playing in bands as a teenager, only starting to sing at age 16.[2][5][6][7][8]

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 nearly 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.[9][10]

Luke Spiller and The Struts at Rock im Park 2016
Jed Elliott at Rock im Park 2016
Genthin Davies at Rock im Park 2016

The band chose the name The Struts based on an offhand comment made at a rehearsal. Spiller said in a 2015 interview, "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."[2][6][7][8]

The band played frequently throughout the UK. They soon developed a following, and 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 subsequently put out a four-track EP titled Kiss This.

The Struts toured extensively in England and France, and in 2014 performed for 80,000 people as the opener for The Rolling Stones in Paris. That summer, 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. The production of Rhodes' clothing for Spiller 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". Spiller's looks and stage presence lead Roger Goodgroves of Get To The Front to describe him as "the musical love child of Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger".[5]

Mike Oldfield recruited Spiller to sing on his 2014 album Man on the Rocks. "He did a much better job of sounding like a rock star than me," Oldfield said.[13][14][15]

The Struts first television performance was on Vintage TV's 'Live Sessions,' where they appeared alongside established acts including Toyah, Nik Kershaw and Judie Tzuke. The show was recorded in January 2014 at the Bedford in Balham and aired on March 20.[16] The band played two tracks, 'Kiss This' and 'Could Have Been Me'.[17]

Everybody Wants, their debut studio album, came out in July 2014. It charted in the UK and received positive reviews.[12][18] In early 2015, The Struts signed to Interscope Records/Polydor and in August of that year they released the EP Have You Heard, their first U.S. 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 No. 1 on the Spotify Viral Top 50, No. 4 on the iTunes rock singles chart, and in the Top 5 on the U.S. 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 Live! in August 2015, and in September they were named "Band on the Verge" by USA Today. In December 2015 they performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers.[9][19][20]

In January 2016, it was announced that The Struts would release a reissue of Everybody Wants on 4 March on Freesolo/Interscope Records/Universal Music Canada with five songs not included on the original UK release.[21][22]

In August 2016, they opened for the band Guns N' Roses for their Not In This Lifetime... tour at AT&T Park.

Personal life

The Struts' bassist Jed Elliot has been dating Little Mix's member Jade Thirlwall since January 2016.[23] According to Jed, they met in August 2015 after their mutual friend Jake Roche, from the band Rixton, introduced them in Los Angeles.[24]

Luke Spiller's girlfriend is model Laura Cartier Millon. They have been dating since February 14, 2014.[25]

Tour

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Peak chart positions
UK
[26] 		CAN
[27] 		US
[28] 		US
Rock
[29]
2014 Everybody Wants 52 68 99 15

EPs

Album Details Chart positions Sales
US
Heat
[30]
Kiss This EP —
Have You Heard EP 9
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

List of singles, showing year released and album name
Year Title Peak chart positions Album
US
Alt.
[32] 		US
Main.
Rock
[33] 		US
Rock.
[34]
2012 "I Just Know" — — — Non-album single
2013 "Could Have Been Me" 5 12 15 Everybody Wants
2014 "Kiss This" 8 17 25
"Put Your Money on Me" 22 — —
2016 "Dirty Sexy Money" — — —
"Only Just a Call Away" — — —
"Put Your Hands Up" — — — Non-album single

Music videos

As lead artist
Title Year Director(s) Most Popular Videos
"It's the Struts" 2011 57,732
"I Just Know" 2012 389,583
"Could Have Been Me" 2013 Jonas Akerlund 4,717,870
"Kiss This" (Version 1) 2014 2,256,138
"Kiss This" (Version 2) 714,752
"Put Your Money On Me" Rhys Frampton 1,568,544

References

  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. ^ a b "Interview: The Struts - GetToTheFront". GetToTheFront.
  5. ^ a b Probert, Sarah (20 May 2014). "Indie Newcomers Ready to Strut Their Stuff". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  6. ^ a b B., Jackie (30 May 2014). "The Struts Devon Frontman is Ready to Seize the Crown". Western Morning News. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  7. ^ a b Tilles, Jay (30 September 2015). "The Struts Channel Classic British Rock Icons". radio.com. Radio. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  8. ^ a b Ryan, Patrick (14 September 2015). "On The Verge: The Struts". USA Today. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  9. ^ Dyroff, Denny (13 September 2015). "On Stage". Coatesville Times. 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. ^ "Toyah on TV: The Vintage TV Sessions". Dreamscape.
  16. ^ http://www.vintage.tv/catch-up/video/the-vintage-tv-sessions-the-struts--could-have-been-me/
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ 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)
  19. ^ Frometa, RJ (14 December 2014). "The Struts (@TheStruts) tours dates + "Kiss This" on Seth Meyers December 14". Vents Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  20. ^ "UK BREAKOUT BAND THE STRUTS TO RELEASE ANTICIPATED DEBUT ALBUM EVERYBODY WANTS MARCH 4". Universal Music (Press release). 19 January 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  21. ^ Olozia, Jeff (15 January 2016). "Meet the Glam Rock Frontman Channeling Freddie Mercury". New York Times. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  22. ^ Wareing, Charlotte (5 February 2016). "Little Mix star Jade Thirlwall 'dating The Struts bassist Jed Elliott'". mirror.
  23. ^ "Jed Elliott EXCLUSIVELY reveals when Little Mix romance sparked".
  24. ^ "papayaputa".
  25. ^ "Struts". The Official Charts Company.
  26. ^ "The Struts Album & Song Chart History: "Canadian Albums"". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  27. ^ "The Struts Album & Song Chart History: "Billboard 200"". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  28. ^ "The Struts - Top Rock Albums". Billboard.
  29. ^ "The Struts - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help)
  31. ^ "The Struts: Chart History". Billboard.
  32. ^ "The Struts: Chart History". Billboard.
  33. ^ "The Struts: Chart History - Hot Rock Songs". Billboard.
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