THE STRUTS

THE STRUTS BIO:

In 2009, Luke Spiller was introduced to Derby-based guitarist Adam Slack. After making an instant connection, the two collaborated and started writing music together. Spiller uprooted and moved to Derby from his hometown of Clevedon later that year and the pair recruited bassist Jamie Binns and drummer Rafe Thomas to form a new band. The quartet moved into a band house in Derby in 2010 to work full-time on song writing and recording and were soon signed up by Future Records, a division of Universal Music, and worked with its founder Gary Barlow. The band's name was coined by their manager upon seeing lead singer Spiller strut around the stage during rehearsals. After playing various local venues in Derby, the band gained further popularity by supporting British pop-rock band McFly on their Above the Noise Tour in 2011.

Future Records was closed down by Barlow in 2012 and so the band was transferred to another Universal division, Mercury Records (which later became Virgin EMI in 2013). The band's line-up also changed that year with the addition of Jed Elliott and Gethin Davis, who replaced Binns and Thomas respectively. The band released their first single I Just Know in June, which gained the attention of international fashion retailer Primark and was used as the soundtrack for their Denim Co advertising campaign. The single was also named as XFM's Record of the Week.

By the time the band had released their second single, Could Have Been Me, in 2013, they were already building up a strong following across England and France and a huge reputation for charismatic and energetic live performances, vintage outfits and sensational guitar rifts. Following a recording session in the south ofSpain, the Struts' first EP, Kiss This, was released on 7 April 2014 and met with positive reviews. Shortly after, their debut album Everybody Wants was released on 28 July. The album, produced by Ray Hedges, charted at number 52 in the UK and received critical acclaim. In support of their album, the band toured England and France extensively and opened for The Rolling Stones in front of 80,000 fans at the Stade de France, Paris. For their appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival, lead singer Spiller wore an outfit designed for him by Zandra Rhodes, who formerly dressed Freddie Mercury of Queen. The production of the outfit was later featured on the BBC documentary Oh You Pretty Things: The Story of Music and Fashion.

In 2014 Luke Spiller was the singer on Mike Oldfield's album Man on the Rocks.

In February 2015, The Struts were awarded Best Live Artist/Group at the French-based Sound of Brit Awards 2015, beating out competition from fellow nominees such as Kasabian andKlaxons. They were also nominated for Best Live Session by French radio station Ouï FM. On 13 February, The Struts played their first concert in the United States, performing at fashion designer John Varvatos's Bowery Live event as part of New York Fashion Week.

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