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 wasnāt that. Instead for The Strutsā Pretty Vicious North American tour bills Barns as the opening support. And though Barns and his band played in front of The Strutsā 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 2015ās āFireā and 2017ās āGlitter & Goldā, saw his popularity in the U.K. explode. But, across the pond, the buzz wasnāt quite so manifest.
Everyone in Tuesdayās House of Blues audience who hadnāt heard of Barns Courtney was essentially exclaiming the same couple of sentences the woman directly next to me did: āWhy havenāt I heard of this guy? This is fucking great!ā Also overheard: āSo, is he English? He doesnāt sound English. Canadian maybe?ā 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 āBarnsā Courtney.Ā
The āHellfireā 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 Strutsā 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 āFireā, āon the count of three, Iām going to bring you back in,ā the English rocker mandated, āand when I do, weāre going to jump higher and [sing] louder, than we have all night! Are you ready?ā 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 Lukeās typical theatrics. The band opened with āRoll Upā from their 2014 album Everybody Wants, followed by āFallinā With Meā (Single, 2023), and āPrimadonna Like Meā (Young & Dangerous, 2018).
The English glam rockers moved through their catalogue of his, new and old. Songs like āToo Good at Raising Hellā (and they are) and āWild Childā had the crowd on their feet. But even slower songs like āPretty Viciousā had people dancing.Ā
The Houston audience was treated to a live debut with āBetter Loveā a new song from the bandās latest album, and the namesake of the current tour, Pretty Vicious. The song is an anthem toā¦ adultery? But damn is it catchy.
The Struts finished their set with everyoneās favorite āCould Have Been Meā 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 monthās 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
Fallinā 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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