If Rami Malek hadn’t landed the part of Freddie Mercury in the Bohemian Rhapsody film, it should surely have gone to Luke Spiller. The Struts’ frontman bears an uncanny resemblance to the glam-era Queen singer – all tousled black hair, eyeliner and sweat-soaked swagger – and channels his supreme showmanship. Miller cavorts around the stage, sports a magnificently daft glittery cape, describes the audience as “scrumptious” and bellows: “Are you ready to boogie, woogie, woogie?”
Although there’s a hint of the Darkness’s pastiche, his theatrically attired band of glam loons are more of an unashamedly retro mix of Queen and Slade. You’d expect to find them in a sweaty Midlands 70s discotheque called Samantha’s, not a sold-out student venue in 2019. And yet, the crowd are going crazy, as the Struts seem to satisfy an otherwise unquenched need for unreconstructed, glamtastic, ludicrous-but-fun classic rock. People know the lyrics, wear glitter and punch the air: this place is absolutely rocking.
The Leeds throng are in good company. Foo Fighters call the Struts the best support band they’ve ever had and Spiller’s gang have been chosen to open for the Rolling Stones and Mötley Crüe. And yet, behind the sleb endorsements lies a 10-year struggle to make it beyond Derby, and a prosaic, “Is-this-finally-happening-to-us?” quality that is tremendously endearing. When Spiller plays keyboard a la Freddie, he does so on a modern synthesiser, housed – hilariously – inside a wooden mocked-up baby grand.
They play for almost two hours, careering from squealing Brian May/Mick Ronson solos to tribal thumping drums. A 15-minute romp through Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark sees Spiller dance with a glittery-faced audience member on stage. Their own great songs range from glam metal stompers to epic, emotional power ballads, one of which rhymes “she’s got” with “shit hot”. By the time Spiller reaches Could Have Been Me, an arena-sized anthem about the quest for fame and seizing every chance, the cheering is louder than the band. The Struts aren’t original, but they are a fantastic live act, and they will rock you.
• At Newcastle University, 18 February, then touring.
