A huge blast of fun-filled, glamorous escapism.
If there was any justice in this world, The Struts' imperious 'Everybody Wants' debut would have instantly made them filthy rich superstars – not that the Derbyshire-based four-piece are crying foul. After all, they're currently selling out decent-sized venues Stateside and they've also appeared on both Seth Meyer's and Jimmy Kimmel's evening chat shows. On top of that, this exuberant Glam Rock group have supported Guns N' Roses, The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe and the Foo Fighters; Dave Grohl even hailed them as the best band who've ever opened for his outfit.
Having achieved all of this, The Struts could now be about to do the unimaginable and – I kid you not – become a huge British Rock band with a global following. All they need is an album to give them one final push towards the big time and 'Young & Dangerous' (with its unstoppable barrage of radio-smashing, arena-owning, festival-slaying anthems) boasts the perfect combo of classic Rock 'n' Roll and newly added Pop smarts to do just that; it may even conquer the notoriously Rock-phobic UK music scene too – stranger things have happened.
'Bulletproof Baby', 'Body Talks' and 'Fire (Part 1)' are uproariously catchy communal sing-alongs, while the Jim Steinman meets Queen grandiosity of 'Ashes (Part 2)' is rhapsodically epic. It's also nice to hear them integrate some new moves (super-cool Disco groover 'Who Am I?') and textures throughout this record in a way that never feels out of place within their sonic wheelhouse.
What's most impressive is how The Struts meld some very obvious influences, along with countless era-spanning styles, into an idiosyncratic sound that's enriched by their own larger-than-life character. 'In Love With A Camera' (The Darkness, AOR, Modern Pop) 'People' (Oasis, Lorde) and 'Primadonna Like Me' (The Stones, Britpop, Alice Cooper) seamlessly amalgamate their touchstones as Freddie Mercury-esque front-man Luke Spiller imprints his endearingly flamboyant, swaggering personality on every bombastic, propulsive and, sometimes, theatrical note he hollers.
'Young & Dangerous' may not be as good as The Struts' debut, and it won't be the best album they ever make, but it's exactly the right release for this moment in their career and a huge blast of fun-filled, glamorous escapism. If the record breaks big, expect too-cool-for-school NME types to hate it; let's be honest, that is the biggest seal of approval a Rock album can get.
Simon Ramsay
Subscribe to this comment's feed
