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Concert Reports
The Struts
01/23/2022, The Majestic Ventura Theater
The Sturts bring their Stange Days Are Over Tour to The Majestic Ventura Theater !!
All Photos: Ray Soto / Central Coast Rocks
Strange Days are over! One sign of things getting back to normal is The Struts performing once again on stages throughout California. Originally set to take place last year, the “Strange Days Are Over” Tour was postponed due to Covid -19 but is in full swing now as the Glam Rockers from the UK returned to The Majestic Ventura Theater stage and promptly began to blow the roof off the place. Hitting the stage after an air raid siren alerted the packed crowd the festivities were about to start, charismatic lead singer Luke Spiller had complete control over the audience before the first words of the opening song “Primadonna Like Me” were belted out.
“Body Talks” and “Kiss This” followed the rousing opener then “I Hate How Much I Want You” from the group’s latest release “Strange Days” rocked the crowd into a frenzy. Throughout the night other songs from “Strange Days” would make their way into the set list: “Low key In Love” ( Duet with Paris Jackson ), “Am I Talking To The Champagne ( Or Talking To You ), “Wild Child’ and “Strange Days.” Judging by the crowd’s reception, the songs from Strange Days seem destined to become Struts staples that more than hold up alongside their other hits.
The best of the band’s two previous releases, 2016’s Everybody Wants and 2018’s Young & Dangerous were well represented and made sure the night’s energy was constant as band members Adam Slack (Guitar), Jed Elliot (Bass) & Drummer Gethin Davies complimented ringleader Spiller in entertaining the fans while churning out favorites such as “Fire,” “One Night Only,” and “I Do It So Well”
With the show winding down Spiller asked how many in the crowd were at their first struts show, then welcoming them to “The Family Baby,” which is a fanatical fan base in itself. Rivaling the Dead Heads and KISS Army, the band’s hardcore fans known affectionately as “Strutters” travel from show to show and are a close knit community, many of whom befriend each other for life and socialize outside of the concerts.
Closing with “Could Have Been Me” The Struts left the stage after an hour and 45 minutes of pure Rock N Roll fun that engaged the diverse crowd from the opening notes and did not mention politics, religion or any other message other than enjoy your life and have fun. Now isn’t that refreshing.
Strange Days
When COVID-19 brought touring to a halt, The Struts created their third album Strange Days over the course of a charmed and frenzied burst of creativity last spring. After getting tested for COVID-19, the band moved into the L.A. home of producer Jon Levine and, within just ten days, laid down nine original tracks alongside their masterful cover of a KISS B-side.
Several songs on Strange Days are graced with an appearance from rock-and-roll royalty — an organic turn of events for a band who opened for The Rolling Stones before they’d even put out their first album. On lead single “Another Hit of Showmanship” (released in August), The Struts teamed up with Albert Hammond Jr of The Strokes, who adorned the song with his stunning guitar work. Meanwhile, their majestic follow-up single “Strange Days” features the unforgettable vocals of incomparable pop legend Robbie Williams. “I Hate How Much I Want You,” an explosive collaboration with Def Leppard’s Phil Collen and Joe Elliott finds Struts frontman Luke Spiller trading throat-shredding vocals with Elliott to magnificent effect. Meanwhile, Collen unleashes his notoriously ferocious guitar work, a perfect counterpart to the track’s swaggering groove, thunderous drumming, and shout-along-ready chorus. And on “Wild Child,” Rage Against The Machine’s Tom Morello joins Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott, and drummer Gethin Davies for a fierce and filthy anthem that marks their heaviest track to date.
Elsewhere the explosive “All Dressed Up (With Nowhere To Go)” unfolds in snarling power chords and exquisitely cheeky lyrics while the beautifully weary “Burn It Down,” finds The Struts slipping into a bittersweet mood, serving up a slow-burning ballad that sounds straight from the sessions for Exile on Main St. The sole cover song on Strange Days, “Do You Love Me” sees The Struts updating a fantastically sleazy track first recorded by KISS in 1976.
The follow-up to The Struts’ acclaimed 2018 album YOUNG & DANGEROUS, Strange Days came to life over the course of a charmed and frenzied burst of creativity last spring. After getting tested for COVID-19, the band all moved into the Los Angeles home of producer Jon Levine and immediately set to work. Within just ten days of couch-crashing at Levine’s house, The Struts had laid down nine original tracks and a masterful cover of a KISS B-side: a lean, mean body of work that amounts to their most glorious output to date. Mixed by Claudius Mittendorfer (Panic! At the Disco, Arctic Monkeys, Johnny Marr), the result is a powerhouse album that lifts The Struts’ glammed-up breed of modern rock to entirely new and wildly thrilling heights.
The Majestic Ventura Theater
The Ventura Theatre, the best venue between LA and San Francisco, it offers a great 1920’s Mission Style Architecture ambiance – you can see & feel close to the band from practically anywhere in the theatre, excellent acoustics and easy nearby parking (a major plus). No question it is one of the hippest places to experience great music and So Cal’s best kept secrets.
Located in Ventura, California – minutes from the Valley and Santa Barbara, it is one of Southern California’s finest venues and home to the world’s most legendary artists – of all genres of music to include but not limited to: Punk, Alternative Rock, Reggae, Classic Rock, Metal, Blues, Country, Jazz, Funk, Latin, Rock en Espanol, Electronica, R&B/Trip-Hop/Hip-Hop, World and more. The Ventura Theater’s 1920’s Mission Style Architecture design, 1200 capacity spectacular venue, with multiple full bars, and ballroom boasts the best talent line-ups North of Los Angeles and on to San Francisco.
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