The Struts, a glam rock band from the UK, put on an energetic performance at the House of Blues San Diego along with the opening band Bleeker. Lead singer Luke Spiller engaged the enthusiastic crowd through call-and-response singing, jumping into the audience, and encouraging fan participation. The Struts' guitarist Adam Slack dedicated a song to his girlfriend for her birthday. They ended their high-energy set by throwing drumsticks, picks, and towels into the cheering crowd.

1. The Struts with Bleeker at the House of Blues San Diego
Bria Higginbotham
House of Blues San Diego
March 30, 2016
The Struts are a glam rock band from the UK. The band is comprised of lead vocalist Luke
Spiller, guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliot, and drummer Gethin Davies. This was their
second time playing the House of Blues San Diego venue, and they owned the stage.
First, Bleeker, formerly known as Bleeker Ridge, is an alternative hard rock band from Canada.
The band members include vocalist Taylor Perkins, guitarists Cole Perkins and Dan Steinke,
drummer Chris Dimas, and bassist Mike Van Dyk. Before the show it was difficult to find
information on the band and it seemed most people in the audience were experiencing them for
the first time, however, by the end of their set, they had picked up some new fans.
Some opening acts seem to drag on and annoy the concert goers who are there for the
headliner, but Bleeker engaged with the crowd and did a great job of getting them ready for The
Struts. The band members made themselves available after the show for pictures and CD
signings in the Band Merch area.
When The Struts members entered one by one all leading up to the entrance of Luke Spiller. In
their opening song, “Roll Up,” Spiller sings “Whatever I wear, It’s gotta have flare,” which was an
accurate description of his bright red printed jacket, a sparkling top, and leather pants.
Each member of the band was interactive with the crowd and had some amount of solo play
time. During one song Spiller hopped off the stage into the crowd. He made a competition of
cheering and fan participation, at one point Spiller instructed the crowd to get low, all the way
down to the ground, and jump on his cue, and everyone on the floor participated. There were
frequent moments in which Spiller allowed the audience to sing rather than himself and the fans
knew every word.
Before their performance of “Only Just a Call Away,” guitarist Adam Slack dedicated the song to
his girlfriend for her birthday, which the crowd loved. The second to last song was an acoustic
performance of “Black Swan” by Spiller and Slack. The band ended “on a high note,” as Spiller
announced, of “Where Did She Go,” with the audience singing the entire song. As they took
their final bows, they threw whatever they could into the crowd, from drumsticks to guitar picks
to towels, and the audience cheered until well past their exit before the mad rush towards the
Band Merch room.
The Struts reissued their album Everybody Wants March 4. Bleeker released their self-titled
Bleeker EP March 25.