Sometimes an album is so dazzling it forces you to stop and reflect on what the hell just happened. With flash and flair to burn, British rock ‘n' rollers the Struts have crafted a joyous debut boasting so much class and confidence it's like being struck by a sonic lightning bolt. Predictions are a tricky business, but put your mortgage on this lot becoming superstars and you could be in for a mighty windfall.
Originally released in 2014, 'Everybody Wants' received much critical acclaim, leading to support slots with the Rolling Stones and Mötley Crüe, and was subsequently repackaged for release in the US following a surge of support. Now, the reissue is getting a worldwide run.
Mixing the decadent flamboyance of ‘70s glam rock with Britpop's live forever swagger and a boisterous helping of charisma, the Struts have arrived with such a precocious musical skill set it's near impossible to believe Kiss This, Young Stars and Mary Go Round are the work of a young group.
Roll Up's carnival of pure-blooded entertainment finds circus master Luke Spiller living out his rock god fantasies, while the platform boot-stamping It Could Have Been Me and These Times Are Changing highlight the band's constant, almost desperate, carpe diem fervour.
Although the Struts' influences proudly adorn their sequined sleeves - there are immaculately constructed backing vocals a la Queen, the Stones' raunchy guitar moves, melodic lines from the Kinks and a barrage of hearty gang-chant Slade choruses - they somehow sound like everyone, and yet no one but themselves.
Far from being a nostalgia trip, the lascivious indie-disco of Dirty Sexy Money bubbles on a bass line from Garbage's Stupid Girl, Black Swan's Shakespearean dramatics could be vintage Manics, while there are numerous nods to the Killers’ 'Hot Fuss'.
There are no obvious weaknesses in the Struts’ glitter-coated armour, with drummer Gethin Davies and Spiller particularly radiant. In tandem with relentless hand claps and tambourines, the former's mojo-laced beats are the group's impellent engine, while the latter's commanding vocals possess a theatrical Mercury-like dexterity as he moves from plucky underdog to superhero in the flap of a cape.
With its wall-to-wall anthemic immediacy and communal allure, the Struts’ debut possesses the cross-genre and potential societal appeal we haven't witnessed all that often since Oasis claimed the Britpop crown in the ‘90s. 'Everybody Wants' has the power to seduce everyone. Its songs would be at home on any radio station, and liable to spark a mad dash for the dancefloor at any nightclub. Basically, this is the rock band British music has desperately needed for two decades.
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