The Struts welcome the cool kids to First Avenue

Welcome to the cool kids club ladies and gentlemen.

The Struts sell out First Avenue

On their second stop to First Avenue in less than a year, British rock band The Struts sold out the venue and gave a high-energy performance to a clamoring crowd mostly made up of young women and middle-aged parents. Since the release of their US debut EP Have You Heard in 2015, the band has gotten a lot of radio play. That radio exposure, along with opening the last four arena rock shows that Mötley Crüe ever played, has catapulted the young band to new heights.

Since last September when they played First Avenue, The Struts have added a much better light show and a bit more polish to their stage presence. With that said, on this night the set seemed enveloped in routine. To end nearly every song, singer Luke Spiller had his arms out wide and head back. And while the crowd was in to it from the start, Spiller and company laid it on pretty thick at times, prodding the crowd to be even louder, or at other times to be completely quiet when a song ended. When I first saw the band in September, this had a fun charm. But on this night, some of the authenticity was wearing thin.

Like last year, the standout songs were “This Kiss” and “Dirty Sexy Money” from their 2014 debut LP Everybody Wants. When The Struts are on, they are on, and give me great hope for the future of rock-n-roll. Luke Spiller is revitalizing the lead man role with slick dance moves and an amazingly unique glam-rock voice. The rest of the band fills out the sound well, but it is apparent that they are all still young and have plenty of room to improve in the chops department.

The night ended with Spiller donning a big black hat, and guitarist Adam Slack playing acoustic by his side. After a chilled down version of “Black Swan”, they covered “Purple Rain” by Prince with First Avenue engulfed in purple. It was a nice attempt to show respect, but it hit with an awkward thud after such a rocking set. Like other times this night, it seemed they were trying a little too hard.

The Struts at First Avenue