Like a geode in the rough, The
Gothic Theater in Englewood looks like any other building in the run down
suburb of Denver. Bright and early (6pm) we stood in line watching traffic and
passerby. The quiet chatter of experienced concert goers soon came around as
the line began to tack on length and the VIP ticket holders (not us this time unfortunately)
were taken in. UK glam rockers The Struts were taking the stage tonight.
A relatively new band, I had
only been aware of The Struts existence for a few months, after I was told my
favourite band The Darkness (Review HERE) was reminiscent of The Struts. Of course
that had my interest and I was amazed by their debut album Everybody Wants, Which I would put right up there next to The
Darkness on my endless shelf of CDs organized by favouritism. We soon picked up tickets
having missed the VIP due to demand and were excitedly on our way to the second
row.
The beauty of the Gothic’s décor
was mesmerizing, the colours adding to the artistic energy of the whole night.
The VIP group made up the first row and I ended up behind a very rocking young
man
(later told me he was 15), other than that, the stage was literally within
spitting distance. Very punctually, the stage hands came on stage and flipped
on the tube amps to warm up before the opener Beware the Darkness (Review
coming soon) came on stage at exactly 8:30. Their darker more serious vibe set
a stark contrast for The Struts. Their moody and intense set got people moving,
before ending exactly at 9:15.
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| Beware The Darkness |
The stage was soon cleared of
their gear and The Strut’s pre-amps and amps were warmed, guitars quickly tuned
levels and mics checked, smoke machines wiring... or was it just the Rocky Mountain High starting up...? The crowd was getting on edge by the impending wave of
sound. All that was left to do was wait. It wasn’t long though. Soon the lights
were dimmed and soon, for our viewing pleasure, The Struts were introduced and
entered stage left.
It was instantaneous high
powered energy that met the crowd through the noise on stage. Drummer Gethin
Davies took the stage first, next Bassist Jed Elliott, followed by guitarist
Addo Slack. Finally it was the beautifully flamboyant front man Luke Spiller
who took to the stage that sent the audience into a frenzy. Glittery and
gorgeous he launched the band into their set
The crowd needed very little
thawing to break the ice. The second song they played was the first of theirs I
had ever heard… and have heard daily for the past 5 months as my significant
other’s ringtone, Could Have Been Me,
(which never gets old, by the way) which was sensational, each member of the
crowd shouting their heart into the lyrics, almost as loud as Spiller through
the PA. The amount of energy put into the song was one I would expect from a
closer, but being used early in the set, it was hard for me to see how they
could continue to milk the audience, but the show only went up and up, the band
tightening its grip on us.
It was admirable how involved
the band was with its fans, sharing nods and smiles… a particular lead singer
hopping up of the barricade to mingle with the first row. You know, the little stuff.
Although larger than life on stage, they were incredibly humble and sincere
when it came down to it. The humanity they put into their performance was
enticing, drawing even the newest fan closer to the band personally.
The performance included the
band’s album in its entirety, I wasn’t able to take notes on the set list, nor
did I care to pull out my phone to do anything more than take a few pictures,
so the details have to remain a little sketchy until some loving fan uploads a
setlist.
The crowd was well versed for damn sure, each chorus
filling out the music. Luke, who in no way resembles Freddie Mercury in appearance
or stage presence, took a little time to play with our vocal capabilities
Mercury-like, splitting the room, and giving each half a specific set of notes
to holler. it was truly a blast to see him command the theater’s attention, controlling
the entire room with only his hands. A little taxing on my vocal chords, which
still hurt, but I’ll hopefully live to see another Struts concert.
Things picked back up again when
we were all ordered to the floor. We waited for our que, and once the music
started and we heard the word JUMP! you can be damn sure we did, and didn’t
stop either. The room was set to madness, arms flailing, people screaming, the
whole room jumping, propelling themselves off their neighbours, the front row
throwing themselves upward with the barricade.
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| Spiller's Serenade. |
The audience was pumped, and that’s
when Spiller took to the crowd once again, singling out a petite young lady, to
whom he took her hand and sang to her soul. Only a little bit visibly jittering
with excitement did he leave her with a final kiss on the hand. His next target
was the young man directly in front of me. He took his shaggy head in both
hands and rocked his world, continuing to jam away.
It was soon after that when I
took one of the feathers from my hair and had the kid lay it on the stage,
where it stayed for a song or two and was picked up by the mobile Spiller, who
placed it behind his ear. I also came across a paper on the floor that was one
of the signed 8x10s given out before the show to the VIP ticket holders. I
managed to pick it up without getting trampled and asked the kid if it was his…
I believe he thought I was giving it to him (he was part of the VIP) and gladly
accepted it. Damn. Karma don’t fail me!
The band ended its set and soon
returned for a quiet acoustic version of She
Makes me Feel, a special treat to the good people of Colorado. The set
ended and I convinced the stage hands to give me back my feather that lay on
the empty stage, a memento of the night! In all, Spiller’s vibrant lead, Addo’s
monstrous shredding, Davie’s pounding kick and shattering symbols, and not to
mention 
-Cheyenne Kline
