The Struts Open Up About Taylor Hawkins’ Death, Fame, and Why ‘Pretty Vicious’ is Their Best Album Yet

Luke Spiller related to Taylor Hawkins on a different level.

Before the celebrated drummer and Foo Fighters visionary passed away in March 2022, they’d become extremely close friends. So when Spiller, the vocalist and pianist of The Struts—the U.K.-bred, LA-based English rock band—joined Hawkins at his home in 2019 for Thanksgiving, he was quickly convinced to relocate. Fast forward to just over two years later, and The Struts were finally living in Los Angeles when Hawkins suddenly died of apparent cardiac failure while on tour in Columbia.

If it weren’t for Hawkins’ advice, the band might have never left the U.K. “He was the one with the courage to move out,” says bass player Jed Elliot, gesturing to Spiller in their private trailer post-main stage performance at BottleRock Festival.

“Luke’s been around to (his) Thanksgiving at the end of 2019. He said to Luke, ‘You could not go back to England. You’ve got to come out to LA. You’ve got to encourage other boys to come out to LA.’ So Taylor kind of got the wheels in motion for that.”

Spiller never got a chance to say a proper goodbye, but was given an opportunity to show the world how much he admired Hawkins when he performed with none other than Queen at his Wembley Stadium tribute concert in May 2022. Around that same time, the freshly relocated band was beginning to pick up traction back in the states thanks to the guidance of industry veterans like mega producer Gregg Alexander (New Radicals) and Dave Grohl. 

The frontman had become both a familiar face and good friend to The Struts by then, taking them on tour as a supporting act for The Foo Fighters as far back as 2017. “We’ve had some amazing … I think the Foos was the biggest.” Elliot replies in his Darby accent when asked about supportive influences during that time. “With Taylor and Pat (Smear) there was some touch with, I think.”

“And Dave, really,” guitar player and co-founder Adam Slack offers. “He was the one that came to our show. We went on tour with him at the end of the tour. He was like, ‘Let’s do this again!’ He was shouting about us in the U.K., (saying) the best opening band we’ve ever had. And I was just like, to have the accolade, which I think was amazing. That band I think has just been great to us.” 

“He was also instrumental as well along with Pat to secure a place like the Wembley show for Taylor’s live memorial concert.” Spiller explains. “To sing with Queen, which for a band like us, it’s always had like a decent following in the United Kingdom, but compared to the USA, where we get heavy radio support and lots and lots of press, it was quite a massive thing to be playing.” 

When asked about how the U.K. Struts differed from the more contemporary, Los Angeles version of the band, they all agreed that their wanton days of living out of  suitcases were all but a distant memory. “That’s a good question.” Drummer Gethin Davies speaks up for the first time. “The U.K. struts. So we all lived in a house together. Oh, and it was pretty… How do you expect four young guys living together in the house? We used to get up and do some mystery. We had three cats.

“We didn’t really live anywhere.” He continues. “We lived out of the case, and then we’d go back and stay with our families for Christmas or whatever. So yeah, like 2020, we finally made the move to LA. I really think it was a great move for us because there’s so much happening in LA anyway. It was nice individually for us to kind of recharge. We get to do our own thing as well.” 

After years of what seemed like being on an endless world tour, California offered a new level of independence for each band member. “I think it was a bit anxious post-pandemic as well. We might have fallen out of love with touring to Summer Garden,” Spiller admits. “We did our own homes and that was all new for us. To go back and forward. To get to a point where we felt even more together and appreciated what we do so much more. We’re ready for our best tour yet.” 

With single “Too Good at Raising Hell” about to drop immediately post festival, the band members’ eyes all seemed to collectively shimmer when the subject pivoted to the new song and album that eventually followed. “I enjoyed it. I just, literally—It really is the tip of the iceberg,” Spiller concurs, leaning back while clutching his top knee, one leg casually crossed over the other. “Like, I know we’re all incredibly biased, but I think we can all feel that with everything else on the record, it really is just the beginning. It’s a record that could easily have five, six singles, minimum. So … minimum.” 

“Yeah, full. Full of bangers.” Elliott makes a semi circular hand motion to emphasize his point. “Full of bangers. To get to the point earlier about us learning what is really important to us as individuals, coming back on the road again with that new focus from all four of us. And I really think we shan’t have that into what everybody contributes to that record.”

“And I think more than ever is everybody really playing to their strengths as musicians and just the fact that we recorded it in a slightly more traditional way that, in our opinion, is how rock bands should record records. In fact, we got to do that in Nashville and just camp out in there with some extra musicians as well, which is something that was new for us. It was just such an amazing experience.”

When asked if their reception in Nashville was positive, Spiller first prefaced with a brief backstory on The Struts’ discography. “We really took our time as well because the first record, you know, we had all the time in the world to do it. And then the second record was written in drips and drabs in between, you know, heavy touring. It was quite a challenge, but I think we’re all really proud of what happened. And then the third record was done in a week.”

“So this one was like the polar opposite of the third where we had a huge amount of songs to choose from, a lot of experimentation,” The frontman continues. “And obviously we’ve been through it all. So, I think people would hear there’s a slight maturity to some of the lyrical content and the song choices, but it’s not alienating what we’re known for as well. So it’s like a really good balance of pushing things forward and yet still having elements of what’s expected of us as well.”

When asked if anyone had a final word, an avalanche of enthusiastic banter erupted all at once, thickly accented sentences overlapping in a jumble as their publicist looked on, smiling at what was probably an all too familiar scenario backstage. As for the band, they all seemed to be on the same page nonetheless. 

“I guess we’d just like to thank the fans for being patient with us and let them know that their patience shall be rewarded with the best record.” Spiller triumphantly proclaims. “The best record.” Slack interjects, eye contact ensuring his message was delivered with appropriate intensity. A man of few words, his conversational timing was just as precise as his guitar licks were earlier that afternoon onstage. 

“Of at least the last 10 years.” Spiller continues. “Or at least our best record as well. So, yeah, it really is. We just can’t … We’re just burning with excitement because we know what we’re sat on, and we go home, and we all listen to it in our spare time which brings each other up every now and then. We’re like, you know, just kicking in and stuff.”

“I wish we could release two songs at once.” Slack joked, nodding at Spiller. “Yeah, double A-side. And that’s breath, and that’s half blood.” Elliott agrees with a laugh, “And there’s usually some things like, well the folk in my country would be like, is this record just…” 

“Well, I wish I could have done this bit, I wish I could have done that bit, but …” Spiller interjects. They were finishing each other’s sentences at that point. “Or is this one where all of us are just like, you know … we’re super proud of it.” Elliott reconfirmes, smiling. 

“I’m actually nervous because I don’t know how we’re going to top it,” Spiller admitsafter a pause. But the truth was, The Struts were having one of the best days they had all year. “I think we all agreed as soon as we got off, that was one of our, I don’t know, best festivals.”

“It’s rare that unanimously all four members of the band come off stage, and I was like, ‘That was fucking awesome.’ Usually somebody’s like, ‘I’d like to do something; I was in my head or something,’ but all four of us came off unanimously. That was so special,” Elliott adds with a glint in his eye. 

“We’ve been up here (in Napa Valley) a bunch. We’ve been up here last weekend,” He continues. “Yeah, I got married here last Saturday. This is our third BottleRock, I think. And then we played in downtown Napa maybe five or six times over the years. So this place is very dear to our heart. We live in LA now. So this is kind of … I come up here to vacation. So it’s great to come back and then having the concerts or play a rock ‘n’ roll show. And then at the festival, it’s so special as well. I’ve got married here, and that’s kind of my spot now.

“We lived in each other’s pockets for so long, so having that mentality, I think, it’s made us come together a bit. Have our own values stronger as a band,” Slack finally chimes back in, his expert sense of timing seizing the last word from his bandmates. 

 “It means a lot more when we come together.”

All images in this article by Rose Eden, unless otherwise notated.

Pretty Vicious, the brand-new album from The Struts, is available worldwide on November 3, 2023. Get it here.