Unabashed Anthem Rock
Derby, England

Onstage, The Struts are a blur of hair and leather, with anthemic hooks and headbanging riffs that are updated homages to the classic Brit-rock era. Luke Spiller’s explosive voice bears an uncanny resemblance to Freddie Mercury’s, a comparison that the frontman considers flattering but perhaps too simple. Formed in central England in 2010, Spiller and guitarist Adam Slack added bassist Jed Elliott and drummer Gethin Davies to their project two years later, and The Struts soon toured extensively through the U.K. and into France. The band’s popularity actually grew quicker in France, culminating with an opening set for The Rolling Stones in Paris in 2014. In the U.S., The Struts’ single “Could Have Been Me” reached No. 7 on Billboard’s Alternative Rock charts. “The oldest trick in the book is this thing called radio,” Spiller says from a bus somewhere in the American Midwest. So, it isn’t surprising to The Struts frontman that the band has been so well received on its first American tour—a 32-date fall odyssey that includes sold-out gigs in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. Despite the ticket sales and a late-night appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Spiller isn’t satisfied: “We won’t be happy until we’re the biggest band in the world.”