Live Review : The Struts + King Nun + Kyle Falconer @ The Academy in Manchester on October 11th 2019

There was a time where Kyle Falconer was the bees knees and with his Indie darlings The View was the best big thing. Sadly something happened on the way to paradise and here we are first on at half seven to a half full Academy. Its ballsy angsty acoustic stuff and those who have made it in sing along with gusto.

I'm not one to take umbrage against a band and I usually look for the redeemable features in every act I review, however I may have met my match with King Nun. I imagine they are nice lads and there must be a market for their watered down punk but for the first time in long while I bail. I go out to the bar. For me, the whole thing falls between two stools. It is way too polished and polite to be punk but it fails to be introspective indie coz it just doesn’t have enough about it to be interesting. As said, I am sure there are those who have their walls adorned with posters of these young lads. Me, I just fail to find anything remotely interesting about them. Sorry.

In the States, The Struts are bonafide arena bothering rock stars. It must therefore be quite a shock to the system to return to these shores and find themselves back in clubs. That being said, the main Academy is respectably full and most of those here know the words better than Luke. Talking about Luke, he seems more animated than usual. Within the first three songs he has covered every inch of the stage, careering from stage left to right and back again like he had a rocket up his arse. This is showmanship of the type that Freddie and Diamond Dave excelled in, but the lack of originality does not matter as Luke is just so charismatic and likeable. Talking about Freddie, things really go all Queen when the piano is rolled out for 'One Night Only’. Needless to say Luke being Luke, he does not stay on the piano stool long. He is up getting the crowd going, then back at the Joanna for the key change and then back out encouraging the crowd. Its bloody exhausting just watching him, but also bloody exciting. 

‘Dirty Sexy Money’ sees them bring the funk as the crowd jump and sing along. In fact, everybody contributes to the communal sing along whether they know the song or not as the lyrics are so easy to pin down. We get a guitar solo but it feels rather unnecessary as The Struts are about their collective songs as opposed to their individual musicianship. The guitar solo seems to be there purely to give Luke a little breather, a chance to a change of clothes. He returns in a rather fetching red number and precedes to orchestrate more singalongs. As I keep pointing out, Luke isn’t the first to assume the camp charismatic entertainer persona but god does he play it well. He just burns off the stage. By the time 'I Do It So Well’ rolls around, every man and woman in the venue is in love with him, or at least want to take him home for the night.  The aforementioned track is quite magical; as the lights go down, the acoustic guitar comes out, the phones go up as one, the crowd sings and the hairs on our respective arms performing a standing ovation. We get an obligatory cover with 'Dancing In The Streets' with Luke sounding like the bastard child of both Bowie and Jagger.

‘Put Your Money On Me’ is stunning and then he spends a good five minutes splitting the room left to right to compete in his over the top vocals exercises. In anyone else hands, this would seem like a ludicrous waste of time, but Luke makes it warm, entertaining and effortless. 'Where Did She Go' sees everyone on their knees, literally, for the big jump up. Yes, its clichéd and yes it is nicked from Slipknot but it is still highly effective when it puts a smile on all our faces. The encore sees the return of the battered acoustic for 'Somebody New’’, the return of the piano for 'Ashes’ before a storming 'Could Have Been Me’ brings it all to a close. The Struts are so special, not because they have discovered some new musical formula but because they have remembered rock n’roll is all about performance and boy do they put on a performance tonight. Outstanding.