In June, The Struts announced a co-headline European tour, The Grand Union Tour, with Barns Courtney, to begin in September of 2024. But that this wasnât that. Instead for The Strutsâ Pretty Vicious North American tour bills Barns as the opening support. And though Barns and his band played in front of The Strutsâ veiled instruments and stage set, they performed with such energy and technical prowess, to a relatively full room of fans, that it felt like the co-headline dates had already begun.
Of course this comes as no surprise. Barns is, of course, on par with the (other) strutty British rock stars. His early success with 2015âs âFireâ and 2017âs âGlitter & Goldâ, saw his popularity in the U.K. explode. But, across the pond, the buzz wasnât quite so manifest.
Everyone in Tuesdayâs House of Blues audience who hadnât heard of Barns Courtney was essentially exclaiming the same couple of sentences the woman directly next to me did: âWhy havenât I heard of this guy? This is fucking great!â Also overheard: âSo, is he English? He doesnât sound English. Canadian maybe?â For reference, Courtney left the motherland when he was 4, too early to secure the coveted British accent, for Seattle Washington. But he returned to the U.K. in his early teens. His accent? A mashup of Pacific Northwest, and posh English. So, I guess, kind of Canadian. This also explains his incredible name, Barnaby George âBarnsâ Courtney.Â
The âHellfireâ singer commanded his early House of Blues slot like it was to a room full of avid Barns Courtney fans. He interacted with the frontline, mostly Strutsâ enthusiasts packed against the stage barrier, like a master of ceremonies from the moment he stepped on stage. When he neared the end of his hour-long set, he climbed off the stage, over the barrier, and into the crowd. He instructed the crowd to get low in anticipation of the big finale during âFireâ, âon the count of three, Iâm going to bring you back in,â the English rocker mandated, âand when I do, weâre going to jump higher and [sing] louder, than we have all night! Are you ready?â He counted them off, and true to form the GA floor shook with the rhythmic jumps of the crowd.
Luke Spiller entered an amber-lit stage and began singing without accompaniment. It was unclear if there was a minor technical hiccup, or if this was intentional. But the band jumped in soon enough. And with that the Struts had begun their U.S. tour, officially returning to the U.S.
True to form, The Struts put on a show with Queen-level performance value, guitar solos reminiscent of The Darkness, and Lukeâs typical theatrics. The band opened with âRoll Upâ from their 2014 album Everybody Wants, followed by âFallinâ With Meâ (Single, 2023), and âPrimadonna Like Meâ (Young & Dangerous, 2018).
The English glam rockers moved through their catalogue of his, new and old. Songs like âToo Good at Raising Hellâ (and they are) and âWild Childâ had the crowd on their feet. But even slower songs like âPretty Viciousâ had people dancing.Â
The Houston audience was treated to a live debut with âBetter Loveâ a new song from the bandâs latest album, and the namesake of the current tour, Pretty Vicious. The song is an anthem to⊠adultery? But damn is it catchy.
The Struts finished their set with everyoneâs favorite âCould Have Been Meâ which Spiller hardly needed to even sing, considering the audience recalled every word. The band will continue their tour throughout the U.S. until the end of August. After a monthâs break, they will begin their co-headline tour with Barns Courtney in Glasgow. For more information check out https://www.thestruts.com/tour/.
Setlist:
Roll Up
Fallinâ With Me
Primadonna Like Me
Too Good at Raising Hell
Kiss This
Do What You Want
Bulletproof Baby
Mary Go Round
All Dressed Up (With Nowhere to Go)
Better Love
Pretty Vicious
Bad Decisions
Guitar Solo
Wild Child
Body Talks
Put Your Money on Me
Could Have Been Me
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