The Struts
Warfield
March 3, 2020
Photos by Jill Gerstenberger
Over the past few years The Struts have grown to dominate the rock’n’roll scene. With sweeping anthemic songs and unstoppable energy their music is intoxicating, immediately loved by one and all. The English-born band has been lauded by rock’n;roll greats, transgressing the band into legendary status. The Struts brought their iconic sound to The Warfield as a part of their Tour de California presented by Harley Davidson, slashing the night with sonic brilliance.
The Struts kicked off the night with ‘Primadonna Like Me.’ With a touch of old school rock curated for the modern age, the tune lit up the cold dark stage with electric lighting and waves of energy. No person was immune to the excitement, fans loudly singing along to the irresistible tune. ‘Body Talk,’ a euphoric mix of rock energy and pop fervour, found everyone snapping along, rambunctious energy filling the room as the band tromped around the stage.
Asking the band if the crowd was “ready to let yourself go,” the night continued with immersive songs “Kiss This,” “In Love with a Camera,” and ‘Nobody Does It Like You.” The playful songs brought infusions of 60s Brit Pop Rock and melodramatic guitar breaks into the night, showing the sonic range of The Struts. Yellow and orange lights cascaded around the room as the anthemic ‘Fire’ blared through the speakers. The song has a sort of road trip, movie soundtrack type of feel, the anthemic and cinematic quality of the song creating an intoxicating moment of perfection.
Hopping to the piano ‘One Night Only’ continued the anthemic feel, slashed by the drum heavy ‘Dirty Sexy Money.’ After another piano driven song, ‘Tatler Magazine,’ the band exited and a tribalistic and rowdy guitar solo held our attention for a handful of moments. The instrumental moment highlighted the sheer talent of the individual members of The Struts, not only are they incredible performers but as individuals their immense talent shines through.
The band came back onto the stage for a trio of songs seamlessly put together, including ‘Black Swan,’ ‘Roll Up,’ and ‘Young Stars.’ After encouraging the crowd to “never stop being yourself,” the band launched into ‘I Do It So Well’ and clear fan favourite ‘Lowkey in Love.’ The set rounded out with classic rock tinged ‘Put Your Money on Me’ and energy infused ‘Where Did She Go.’ The encore included ‘Somebody New,’ ‘Ashes (Part 2),’ and ‘Could Have Been Me.’
The Struts have something special. Their rock songs are anthemic, a sweeping wave of euphoric energy that is tightly wound into the perfect sonic package. Their live shows are perfectly curated, wildly entertaining capsules of all the best of The Struts, something obvious as they took to The Warfield.
Rock band Starcrawler kicked off the night. The Los Angeles band mixed hard hitting rock records with performance art quality stage presence, creating a mixture of sights and sound that was shocking, in a good way. Female fronted, Starcrawler sang song after song of hard-hitting rock, setting the tone for the night. With wild energy the band charged the crowd as they sauntered in, a perfect opener for the wild ride of The Struts.
Here’s a slideshow with more photos of both bands by Jill Gerstenberger:
The Struts:
Set List: Primadonna Like Me | Body Talks | Kiss This | In Love With a Camera | Nobody Does It Like You | Fire (Part 1) | One Night Only | Dirty Sexy Money | Tatler Magazine | The Ol’ Switcheroo / Black Swan / Roll Up / Young Stars | I Do It So Well | Lowkey in Love | Put Your Money on Me | Where Did She Go || Somebody New | Ashes (Part 2) | Could Have Been Me
