They’re strutting their stuff!
British rockers the Struts will bring their arena-sized sound to the cozy confines of Warsaw in Greenpoint this weekend. The band’s over-the-top stage presence has often been compared to Queen, but lead singer Luke Spiller — who sounds quite a bit like Freddie Mercury — says the similarities are overblown.
“I take it in my stride,” said Spiller. “It’s really a lovely compliment, but we are not heavily influenced by Queen. I’m influenced by a lot of people, but I think because there is such a lack of real melodic and theatrical rock now, the first thing people jump to is Queen. It’s no surprise.”
Still, if the remaining members of Queen, currently touring with American Idol winner Adam Lambert on vocals, called Spiller to offer him a singing gig, would he do it?
“Yeah, of course,” Spiller laughs. “I’d be up for singing with Queen, but, you know, if it happens it happens; if it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”
For now, he is concentrating on the Struts, which formed in Derby in 2009 and released its debut album “Everybody Wants,” in 2014. Despite solid songs, catchy arrangements, and fist-pumping melodies, the record flopped, but the Struts were undeterred, signing to a new label, re-working a few songs and adding five new tracks to the album. “Everybody Wants” was re-released in March of this year, and the group set its sights on the American market. These days, thanks to a heavy touring schedule that included a high-profile slot at last summer’s Lollapalooza in Chicago, the Struts has become much more popular in the United States than they are at home.
“None of our music has been played on the radio in the U.K.,” Spiller said. “No one [there] really writes about us.”
And Spiller is looking forward to the next album, slated for release sometime in 2017. “Everybody Wants” was remarkably cohesive, despite its patchwork history, but Spiller hopes for a more stable production — but he is not counting on anything.
“I would like to choose one producer who could do the whole thing, but we’ll just have to see,” he said. “If not, maybe the next album.”
The Struts with Holy White Sounds and Cemetery Sun at Warsaw (261 Driggs Ave. between Leonard and Eckford streets in Greenpoint, www.warsa
