The Struts shook the little venue located in Fishtown known as The Fillmore in Philadelphia on July 22, 2023 as part of their “Remember The Name” tour. It has been a year since the rabid Philadelphia fans had seen the band, and they more than ready dressed in devil horns and glitter. The fans lined the streets outside the venue around noon for a 9:00pm show to grab some rail estate. The stage production was new and the setlist included everything; old, new, borrowed, and Smokin’ hot.
The band took the stage and immediately launched into their set with "Dirty Sexy Money." The crowd went wild, and the energy level in the room was electric. The band then went into some favorites "Body Talks," "Fallin' With Me," "Kiss This," "Primadonna Like Me," and "All Dressed Up (With Nowhere to Go).”
Lead singer Luke Spiller, a consummate showman, keeping the crowd engaged the entire night. He was constantly interacting with the audience. Adam Slack ripped apart his guitar with blistery runs and the slowing it down when needed. Adam’s guitar solo was epic as the lights fell leaving just a single spotlight on Adam while he delivered a festival of notes.
The Rhythm section was on point as well! Jed Elliott and Gethin Davies kept the toes tapping and hands clapping throughout the night. Watching Jed follow the guitar lick note for note on runs during “Kiss This” is always a personal favorite.
Geth, the super talented drummer, is just insane behind his kit. Always active (even during on stage conversations), he did take a break from comedic relief. A new “antic” that he does is toss his drumsticks and raise his hands over his head. At that point, the stage manager Evan, rises behind him and places items in his hands. There have been bananas, hot dogs, and well….. tonight, was just a little different. Tonight, Evan placed some sizeable matching bedroom toys in each of his hands. Everyone had a great laugh, and the items bounced around from place to place until they finally were tossed into the crowd.
The highlight of the show for me was when they played their cover of Lorde's "Royals,” which was a very earlier video of the band, but I’ve never seen it performed. The band put their own spin on the song, and it was well-done. They also played their newest release a called “Too Good at Raising Hell," which is a great track. The Struts closed out their set with "Fire (Part 1)" with Like on piano and then "Could Have Been Me." As confetti guns pumped over the floor crowd, the fans were singing along to every word, and it was an amazing way to end the show.
Everyone left in a hot sweaty mess, and rock n roll should be.
Review and Photography by: Bob Linneman