"Having been given the unpleasant task of reviewing two musical abortions(Aqua’s Greatest Hits and Basement Jaxx’s Scars) in as many weeks, I was glad to be offered space for the opportunity to write on new and up and coming bands and hopefully give me the chance to get my teeth into something with a bit more substance. Thank Christ the Strutts haven’t disappointed. Stumbling upon the band this year in Pravda, again at Eamonn Dorans and both times pleasantly surprised at the consistency of their live performances regardless of electric equipment that was clearly lacking. I made sure I caught them at the release of their EP, where any band worth their salt should and had better play out of their skin. Again the Strutts didn’t disappoint.
Their Myspace page describes the band as ‘four lads from Dublin’. They are indeed four lads but their sound is anything but Dublin. Liverpool runs through their veins and is their lifeblood. Early rockabilly is eaten for breakfast seasoned with Johnny cash, lunch mainly served with a helping of acoustic Stones (Rolling) and a side order of The Coral. The main course is undoubtedly the Beatles, which the Strutts return to for seconds. According to their five a day the Strutts take a small helping of the pixies and the La’s for desert. A loose immediately raw sound defines The Strutts however this deceives the obvious craft, care, attention and direction behind the band. Tight, solid rhythms provide the backing for rich and light guitar work all of which compliment backing and lead vocals. The majority of the tracks on their newly released EP, available on iTunes, notably ‘Down’ and ‘People Talk’ have the hallmarks of indie hits. There is lots of potential to grow for a band that has produced this calibre of work so early in their career. Let’s hope that they don’t disappear into the musical ether or up their own arses.
Despite being around for only a short period of time The Strutts have already garnered a small underground following which unlike most new bands goes beyond just their mates turning up to gigs. Also, the Strutts lack of tenure on the music scene hasn’t stopped them from exploiting every avenue in getting their music out into the public domain and more importantly getting it into people ears." Frank Black UCD Magazine
The Strutts 5 track ep now available on iTunes.
1. Had It Too
2. Easy To Forget
3. Down
4. Tomorrow
5. People Talk
Hey Lads Thanks a million for thursday night, yous were great and really saved my ass, sorry about the short notice. Hope yous enjoyed the night as much as the rest of us did. hopefully do it again.
Spread over two nights in Dublin's Twisted Pepper, with artists from Norway, Paris, Denmark, Dublin, Estonia and London, The Bottlenote Festival 2009 is a major event for improvised music in Ireland.
The festival showcases the work of Bottlenote musicians
and promotes collaborative practice between Irish jazz musicians and
their European counterparts, providing audiences with an exciting
snapshot of the best new improvised music both across Europe and here
in Ireland.
Cheers lads. I ended up with a copy of your EP after some gig a while ago and I've been listening to it since. Really like that tune I've Had It Too, reminds me of the La's. Talk to yis soon anyway, thanks again. Steve.
Howyas boys...got your ep its quality :) we've a headliner in andrews lane on thursday, drinks from €2.50-€3.50, a fiver in!! be a cheap one for ya's hope to see ya's there
this thursday (3rd of dec)