A big highlight of Boston's 2024 schedule was going to be Aerosmith's New Year's Eve concert at the TD Garden. When the band announced their retirement and cancelation of 2024 shows, it was a wake up call both as a fan and an arts writer. It's great to see the original members of the Pretenders and Cheap Trick continuing to rock out with the current iterations of band lineups. The thing is that we must also give due credit and recognition to the rock stars of today and tomorrow. When the Beaches' "Blame My Ex" album went viral, my excitement also stemmed from seeing the band perform just before those songs were written. There's a subversive coolness when you intuitively are drawn to great bands that are approaching wider acclaim.
That's when I decided to start seeking out musicians who that I have either missed during their first time on the charts, or those who are just starting to tour through Boston. I went through calendars for Ticketmaster and some individual venues. I wasn't just noting the musicians who I wanted to check out, but also those I didn't recognize at all. Then, I start searching YouTube for samples of what each act has to offer. It's the approach that I take when preparing my Boston Calling itineraries. The Beaches, the Aces, the Linda Lindas, Chappell Roan, Maris, ... I find my way to their music by following this method.
I checked these names just in time! I got home from the Cheap Trick when I learned that Steven Tyler's vocal issues were irreparable. The first band that I saw on the concert calendars was the Struts. Rarely listening to Top 40 radio, I was unfamiliar, and had to remind myself of the name difference between the Struts and the Strokes. Waiting on Lansdowne St., I saw venue staffmembers holding signs to indicate which line was for the Struts' House of Blues show and which was for Ice Spice at Fenway Park. When many people only recognized one name on the signs, you can tell that there's not much overlap. Maybe the Struts would more categorically fit the label of "alt rock". From the few songs I had listened to, I gathered that the Struts may be a rock band in the vein of the Fratellis. The Fratelli name may be less recognizable than their hit song's eponymous burlesque dancer "Chelsea Dagger." Some chatter among guys in the line fearing "a sausage-fest" told me of the Struts' appeal to women, and their concerts' appeal to some straight men.
That very talented frontman himself is Barns Courtney. That's the name of his solo act while the other bandmates and songwriters are collaborators. This here is what bothers me about Barns. That his opening with a cover of "My Way" (famously sung by Frank Sinatra) defines the pros and cons of Courtney's artistry. Amid all the "sex, drugs, & rock 'n roll" hedonism in the catchy lyrics and singing, it's "Kicks" that stands out as my favorite of his songs. The variable in the songwriting process is that Barns Courtney co-wrote "Kicks" with group that didn't include is regular collaborator Sam Battle. Battle impresses me much more with his modular synthesizer work that has an old school Ciani-meets-EDM vibe. Courtney is welcome to keep on doing his thing, but I think that he should either work and create as one band with his collaborators, or maybe but lyrics and vocals to Battle's synth work in a way more like the Pet Shop Boys.
Seeing the Struts onstage is what made me all the more confident in rising young bands as the older ones grow less capable of recording, touring, and performing. They function and are promoted as a unit. Lead singer Luke Spiller and guitarist Adam Slack keep the songwriting a constant combination of producers' imput and their taste as the band's as founding Struts. This doesn't detract from drummer Gethin Davies and bassist Jed Elliott. In my post about the Pretenders, I noted that while founding bandmembers help maintain the brand identity, a steady lineup is a great indicator of a band's teamwork. This rhythm duo filling out the Struts lineup for the past twelve years makes them as much part of the Struts' identity as Ringo is with the Beatles'.
When I hear Queen, the Darkness, the Strokes, and AC/DC thrown in the mix of influences on the Struts, I can understand that judgement. Bon Scott and Freddie Mercury can definitely be seen in Luke. However, I think that a more straightforward description is to combine glam rock titans the New York Dolls and T Rex while framed in millennial experience. It's that millennial element that may be the most divisive among rock fans in general. 'Why listen to younger bands when their are recordings by their influences?". It's like with purist critics of Greta Van Fleet. In these younger bands, we have songs written in the context of the 21st century. Songs that are more accepting. Songs that have less fumes of toxicity that we're now aware of. While musicians sometimes continue the industry pattern of egotism, substance abuse, and overall self destruction, a generation more in touch with their feelings and empathy helps artists to sustain longer. With the downfalls of Marc Bolan, Bon Scott, and Freddie Mercury, it's exceptional that the Dolls' David Johansen has survived into his 70's.
A Struts concert is something to be experienced, and participated in. In a way similar to Rock Horror Picture Show, a Struts concert invites the audience in to be part of what my old art professors would call "a happening". With "Roll Up", Luke flamboyantly introduces his band, their style, and spectacle of their show. Listening to the song reminded me of David Tomlinson's first number in "Bedknobs & Broomsticks" where he gives a lesson in selling trinkets "With a Flair". Like Tomlinson and old vaudeville stars, all four Struts bring the showmanship. "Body Talks" and "Primadona Like Me" are as much part of the festivity as they are an acknowledgment of how long many in the audience have been supporting the Struts. The tour might be named after "Pretty Viscious", but no one album serves as single focal point for the setlist. While "In Love With the Camera" has a refrain that honors the Darkness, "The 'Ol Switcheroo" feels like an homage to Oasis. You see, while many bands have influenced the Struts, it's that New York Dolls T-Rexy vibe that I find to sweep through for overall stylistic identity. Continuing on through the night, there were solo moments where the drummer was given the spotlight. Then, the guitarist. Then the audience! With Luke Spiller walking up the center of the room, coaching back & forth vocal practice, our voices all came together for "Put Your Money On Me".
Of the encore set, I feel that the song "One Night Only" best sums up the experience of a Struts concert. Yes, if you want to talk semantics, the title may seem to contradict itself when the song is played at multiple shows. But, ... Unless you just listen the recordings on repeat (go ahead, it's that enjoyable), each concert where the performers and audience are and wholeheartedly contributing, that makes for a unique experience. For showmanship like the Struts, the energy of the moment is particularly high. Fit that into intimate space provided by the House of Blues Boston, and it's a rare level of concert satisfaction. Millennial musicians have social media and streaming to give their careers a boost to the right consumers. Yet few artists come into a venue with an attendee capacity of 2,200 and bring the talent and charisma to that fills arenas.
If there's one last song to reference before this blog entry comes to a close it would be "All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go". It exemplifies the Struts bringing an A-game performance reminiscent of INXS's 1987 "Kick" tour. Michael Hutchence was never the same after suffering violent head trauma 5 years after "Kick". While we mourn retiring musicians and those artists who've left the mortal plane to young, the baton is being passed to young and capable stars.
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