Being compared to Queen or The Rolling Stones is enough to make any musician start to sweat.
But that’s not the case for The Struts frontman Luke Spiller, who has been called the musical love child of Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger. He has a Joan Jett-esque haircut and a Marc Bolan-like wardrobe and channels the swagger of these musical greats the moment he steps onstage.
“They’re kind of the golden child of rock right now,” says Jonathan Slye, whose company, Lynchburg Concerts, is bringing the British glam rockers to Lynchburg for a one-off show on Sunday.
After years of trying to get noticed, The Struts made a glittery splash in 2014 when it opened for The Rolling Stones to a crowd of 80,000 fans in Paris. The following year, Mötley Crüe tapped the group as a supporting act for four shows in its farewell tour.
The Struts — which Rolling Stone Magazine hailed as “England's newest glam-rock heroes” — has spent the last few years making appearances on late night TV shows and opening for the likes of Guns N’ Roses, The Who and, currently, The Foo Fighters, who they tour with until May.
“Since releasing debut LP ‘Everybody Wants’ in 2014, The Struts have tirelessly lobbed their addictive, arena-groomed sing-along rock through incessant touring and festival stops,” Sarah Midkiff wrote for Paste Magazine two years ago.
“The quartet remains one of the acts that can be enjoyed without knowing a single note of their music.”
The band, which completed its much-anticipated second album in February, is still playing tours all over the world and selling out iconic venues in New York and L.A. with a show full of glitz, high-octane sound and costume changes pulled straight from the glory days of rock ‘n’ roll.
It’s this kind of spectacle music lovers will get to experience when The Struts play a full, 90-minute set, says Slye, something fans don’t always get when the band plays in arenas and opens for rock legends.
“They’ll play all their hits. They’ll probably play some cool covers, which is going to be great,” he says. “It’s going to be so up-close-and-personal and it’s an experience, one that people continue to rave about.”
Before the concert, Spiller talked about the similarities between gospel and glam rock, his favorite frontmen and the future of his genre.
The Struts got its name because of your attitude onstage. Is there a secret to a good one?
“I guess confidence with a mixture of arrogance. All within good measure, of course.”
There's a clear influence of certain rock icons in both your music and your stage presence, like Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger and David Bowie. What is it that draws you to what many consider to be the glory days of rock 'n' roll?
“I'm not really sure to be honest. I can't put my finger on it. All I know is that it strikes a chord with me and I immediately connect with it. And yes, those icons are my gods.”
Since you grew up in the church listening to gospel music and this happens to be a very Christian area of Virginia, are there any similarities between gospel and glam rock?
“Yes, passion. Watching my dad lead the music in church, I think, naturally helped [me] to approach rock music with the same passion.”
As a band that clearly admires and appreciates rock's history, what has it been like to perform with icons?
“Absolutely fantastic. If everything finished tomorrow then I would still be very happy sitting in my local pub, getting fat and talking about that time I was hanging with the Stones or Mötley Crüe.”
You've gotten a lot of praise for your talent as a frontman. What, in your opinion, is the thing that all the best rock frontmen have?
“Basically, I don't care what kind of performer you are, as long as you are putting 150 percent into the show, then I can’t fault you. I just try and put as much thought and time into the performance as I possibly can. And of course, it's all about having as much fun as you possibly can. That can be tough sometimes with a busy calendar. I guess that's what makes a great frontman, being able to bring an amazing show against all odds.”
Rank your top 5 frontmen.
“1) Freddie Mercury: god; 2) James Brown: Jesus; 3) Mick Jagger: son of Jesus; 4) Justin Hawkins: king; 5) Steven Tyler: mystical wizard.”
Can you walk me through the essentials of a modern-day rocker's costume/makeup?
“I guess items that really work for the individual person. I'm just expressing myself in the same way I've wanted to since I was 16. I go for sequin and mostly ladies clothing. But again, that doesn’t work for everyone. I won't do that forever. But for now that's where I'm at.”
How do The Struts go about bringing glam rock out of the ’70s and into 2018?
“Musically, it’s easier than you think. Being conscious of not [copying] and pasting the genre. There are a lot of bands out there which sound like a dead ringer of their influences. I like to think that The Struts is a fantastic melting pot of all of these great artists and bands that I love.”
Let’s talk about your single “One Night Only.” What inspired that song?
“It's about our fans and the relationship between a performer and his or her audience. It's funny; people think it’s a one-night stand anthem. That was never intended.”
A couple of years ago, you said you wanted to make rock fun again. Where do you think rock is right now in music and where do you want to take it?
“I think it’s changed a lot already. I see young bands coming up that have the same ideology as us. And it’s great to think that we've inspired people. I just can't wait to get this new album out so everyone can start to work out how are they going to keep up with us.”