Coronavirus Omicron surging like wildfire at the moment. Most events cancelled or postponed, but The Struts performing live in San Francisco goes on as planned! Show started at 8, and the lineup had three bands on the bill. First up, Charming Liars from LA. A kitchy little four piece band with the killer drummer, Joshua Reynolds on the throne. Reynolds told us after the show he's originally from Mississippi and joined the band just four years ago. He's the newest member (of four), in the Charming Liars and is a stand out for sure. The band plays vintagey pop glam rock sounding music with a big giant drum sound as their foundation.
Aside from their badass drummer, Charming Liars lineup is, Kiliyan Maguire, from Rancho Cucamonga Ca on lead vocals and to complete the foursome are Englishmen Karnig Manoukian on Guitar and Mike Kruger on bass. CL began in West Londons' Hammersmith area whilst Mike and Karnig were still teens. Shortly after moving to LA, the two connected with vocalist Kiliyan Maguire and the three became Charming Liars. The last one to join was Joshua Reynolds, the insanely talented drummer from down south in America.
The next band onstage was World's First Cinema. An indie band founded in 2019. It is comprised of Fil Thorpe, and John Sinclair, who collaborated with Macklemore on his 2017 single 'Excavate.' The visual was that of a dark fantasy. And the three piece create a dark atmosphere and theatrics, similar to Panic! At The Disco and My Chemical Romance.
At 9.45 British rock band, The Struts hit the Fillmore stage with, 'Primadonna Like Me'. Luke Spiller, lead singer, looks like he's Freddie Mercurys' young brother and if you're unfamiliar with The Struts sound, its something like a mix of The Darkness, Robbie Williams, and KISS. Spiller is joined by guitarist Adam Slack, bassist Jed Elliott, and drummer Gethin Davies. They all live now in Los Angeles. Their new album, Strange Days, features some rock heavys such as, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes, Tom Morello, and last but definitley not least, the great Robbie Williams.
The Struts got their start by opening for rock royalty such as The Who, The Rolling Stones and Guns n Roses. I've seen The Struts a few times, always good and always high energy. Luke Spiller is by far the star of this show, the band are merely a band, (in my opinion). Spiller has his own unique style and at this show was wearing a pink suit. His moves are as if Mercury and Mick Jagger had a son together! He's a pro through and through and connects well with the audience. My partner and I both agreed that their videos are so good that their live performance pales in comparison. I had hoped that Robbie Williams would join them on stage for their last song, title track of the new album, 'Strange Days'. But that wasn't the case at The Fillmore. Nevertheless, Spiller and his bandmates pulled off a great show at The Fillmore. The venue was only about two thirds full, due to Covid. At one point Spiller thanked the audience for coming out to support as he knows we all took our chances to catch Covid that evening. I must give The Fillmore kuddos for keeping the ballroom freezing cold to kill the virus. They must have run the AC at full speed the whole night. I strongly suggest having a look at any of The Struts videos, as they are all excellently produced and edited, and the sound is perfect. If the Struts come to a venue near you, I suggest you take the time and go see them. You'll be entertained for sure!
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