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Long term friends The Struts and Barns Courtney make the perfect co-headliners for a UK tour. And with up-and-coming American singer/songwriter James Bruner opening what is known as The Grand Union Tour, it’s a quality evening from start to finish.
The last time The Struts performed in Birmingham was in July 2022. We remember it well, as three days later we tested positive for Covid for the first time – and we’re pretty sure we caught it from someone at the show.
Two years later and, hopefully, there aren’t quite as many bugs flying around. Although, one thing we did catch was a penchant for Barns Courtney, who performed a very impressive show. He had a full hour to do his thang, and he made good use of his time, playing singles such as ‘National Treasure’, ‘Supernatural’ and the stomping ‘Glitter & Gold’, where he manages to combine indie and rootsy rock ‘n’ roll. He has a light-up microphone, he stands on a stool at one point, as well as climbing up some speakers on one side of the stage. His guitarist Andrew Martin is particularly glamorous with long hair and sparkly trousers, bending backwards occasionally, creating rock star poses – some of you may have seen him on tour with Palaye Royale previously. Barns persuaded a member of the audience to throw their phone to him so he can film a video before passing it back, while final number, ‘Fire’, sees the audience crouch down, before Barns climbs over the barrier and makes his way into the middle of the room, before urging the crowd to jump up again all around him. Barns Courtney’s dynamic set keeps everyone captivated – and he is well worth going to see, with or without The Struts.
After a half-hour change over, The Struts turn up the electricity, kicking off with the exceedingly energetic ‘Primadonna Like Me’. The boys are full of beans, particularly frontman Luke Spiller, who is dressed in a red, satin, flared-sleeved shirt with tasselly trousers that shake around as Luke moves. Guitarist Adam Slack is wearing an Aston Villa shirt, particularly appropriate considering that Villa were playing Bayern Munich in Birmingham on the same evening – and won. Obviously Adam’s support subconsciously helped!
A little like Aston Villa, ‘Dirty Sexy Money’ is another winner. The hit is dirty, sexy, dancey, jivey and everything you want in a song. It gets you moving and grooving along. ‘The Ol’ Switcheroo’ sees Adam and bassist Jed switch positions, and everyone sway their arms from side to side. New song ‘Can’t Stop Talking’ is a quirky gem, with Luke’s vocals giving off a 70s retro vibe, while the title track of The Struts latest album, ‘Pretty Vicious’, sees a smoother, evocative tone. The band save ‘In Love With A Camera’, from their ‘Young & Dangerous album, ‘Put Your Money On Me’, and all-time favourite, and the song that first brought the band to our attention, ‘Could Have Been Me’, to wrap up the set. “I think I’ve cracked the code,” says Luke, before telling everyone in the balcony to stand up for the final number. With everyone on their feet, singing and dancing along to lyrics such as ‘Don’t wanna live as an untold story, rather go out in a blaze of glory,’ the band definitely leave in a blaze of glory tonight. But, hopefully, they’ll blaze back again, real soon.
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