The Struts / Rock City / Nottingham
A lovely warm day, time for shorts and t shirt (but still sporting the ubiquitous gig beanie!) as I head back in to Nottingham’s Rock City, one of the absolute best live music venues around for the opening night of The Struts “Homecoming Tour”.
Saying hi and chatting with the security staff and my fellow gig photographers, I commented on the atmosphere. Always a great venue, a decent sized (but not quite a sell out) crowd were arriving early, and more so than usual…. right from the off there seemed to be a real buzz in the air.
Up first in support we had a real treat. I had heard great things about Cardinal Black beforehand and this was my first time seeing them live. Formed in 2010 in Wales, Cardinal Black are Tom Hollister (vocals), Chris Buck (guitar) and Adam Roberts (drums). They were destined for great things and Guns N’ Roses manager Alan Niven was offering his services. The moved out to America for a time, but for various reasons things didn’t work out and they broke up. However, they got back together in 2020 and were joined by bass player Sam Williams.
Tonight, standing in for Sam on Bass we had Will Davies (who did a fine job). Right from the start, with first track Rise Up there is a power and intensity to the performance. Tom’s vocals are beautiful throughout. What I loved is there’s a real mix to their inventory. Second track Tell Me How It Feels from their debut EP is a much more blues-rock feel, slower, less intense. This is our first real glimpse at a guitar solo from Chris, and wow…… Third track Jump In is mellow and more soul influenced, really highlighting Toms vocal ability. The with Where Do We Gowe’re back to a harder rocking sound.
The whole set is fantastic, and a shame it’s short (support). I’d love to hear a full length set from these guys soon.
As the set comes to an end, we enjoy an early (Tom Hollister Trio) song in Tied Up In Blue with a wonderful bass backing to it and an almost haunting guitar part from Chris Buck. A great set all round and sets up for the headliners nicely.
Setlist:
Rise Up
Tell Me How It Feels
Jump In
Where Do You Go?
Warm Love
I’m Ready
Half Way
Tied Up In Blue
By now, the atmosphere was absolutely banging. Cardinal Black had done a great job getting the already excited crowd to fever pitch ready for The Struts. I’ve been to a few gigs at Rock City, and the difference, and energy levels tonight were off the scale.
The stage was torn down and set up again ready and you could almost feel the anticipation. Former back in 2012 in neighbouring Derby, The Struts consist of singer Luke Spiller, Adam Slack (guitar), Jed Elliott (bass), and Gethin Davies (drums). They released their debut album “Everybody Wants” in 2016 and this was followed up with 2018’s “Young and Dangerous”. Always prolific tourers, Covid put paid to that for a while and this time in the studio brought us their third release “Strange Days”. As for many bands Covid brought a new found creativity and a new sound.
The Struts bounded out onto the stage, with first guitarist Adam front and centre rousing the crowd even more, before Luke struts out onto the stage. Visually, the glam rock feel is in full effect with purple billowing satin shirt and tight trousers, as they rip straight into the first track Primadonna Like Me. The crowd as a whole are bouncing to it’s heavy riffs. There is a swagger and a flamboyance to the performance.
Clearly enjoying the set, they dive straight into Body Talks followed by a great track from their debut album in Kiss This. A slower number but with a wonderful heavy drumline underneath.
Next up we have I Hate How Much I Want You from their most recent album “Strange Days” which was recorded with members of Def Leppard, and it shows… with a much heavier, almost anthem like feel to it. The crowd are absolutely rocking now and the band are loving it !
Luke moves over the keyboard for Fire and remains there for the next track One Night Only too, the crowd swaying and arms raised, waving throughout the venue.
The band have an excellent repour with the crowd throughout and a real highlight was a performance of Mary Go Round mid-set when Luke asks the crowd to hold up their phone lightsand we get a stunning acoustic version, stripped down and brilliant.
The set continues with a number of classic Struts tunes, including Put Your Hands Up, These Times Are Changing, Bulletproof Baby and All Dressed Up. The crowd energy levels are just out of this world, and on a warm night I don’t know how they kept it up. At one point, the crowd is split into two and we have a sing-off lol.
The set closes with an outstanding rendition of Could Have Been Me a brilliant song about living life to the absolute max with lines such as “Don't wanna live as an untold story, Rather go out in a blaze of glory. I can't hear you, I don't fear you, I'll live now 'cause the bad die last. Dodging bullets with your broken past, Well, I can't hear you, I don't fear you now”.
Just stunning.
And that’s it….….wow. I knew when I arrived that it felt different, and somehow I knew we were going to be in for something special, and boy was I right ! Honestly one of the best, most enjoyable gigs I’ve been to for a long time. The rest of the tour dates have something hard to live up to judging by tonight !
Setlist:
Primadonna Like Me
Body Talks
Kiss This
I Hate How Much I Want You
Fire
One Night Only
Dirty Sexy Money
Low Key in Love
Mary Go Round
Put Your Money on Me
Am I Talking to the Champagne (or Talking to You)?
Wicked Game
Wild Child
I Do It So Well
Strange Days
Could Have Been Me
