Hailing all the way from the United Kingdom, alternative rock band The Struts performed in New Orleans for the first time at Voodoo Music and Arts Experience Saturday.

Guitarist Adam Slack, drummer Gethin Davies, bassist Jed Elliott bass and singer Luke Spiller embraced the city by spending their Friday night hanging out in the French Quarter.

Spiller showed up to Voodoo on Saturday with Mardi Gras beads from the evening before, which he cheekily said he plans on wearing throughout the tour for his own pleasures.
Compared to where they’ve previously toured in Britain and France, the group said American audiences were rowdy.

They were excited for the fest’s Saturday lineup, especially Ozzy Osbourne and Friends, Tom Morello and Slash. The band joked they planned to snort a line of ants before Osbourne’s set.

Throughout the afternoon, their playful demeanor shined, when sound checks interfered with interview, they amusingly shouted their answers to questions.  

And there’s no joke the band isn’t willing to go for. On opening for The Rolling Stones and playing with Sabbath, they replied with a comically rehearsed answer, “It can only be topped in our career with a great performance at Voodoo.” 

Soon after, the entire band erupted in laughter.

The group recently released an EP called “Have You Heard,” and are working on their next album while touring. Though the album title is still debated, “Everybody Needs” is a title still in the running.

The band feeds off each other for everything from laughs during interviews and after shows to when they make their music.

They write new songs by exchanging ideas and coming up with melodies, they said. Sometimes they begin with a drumbeat, or sometimes Spiller and Slack will come up with a tune to kickstart the creative process.

The band originated when Spiller and Slack began making music together in Derby, England, and officially joined Davies and Elliott in 2012 to form The Struts.
Since then, they’ve been touring abroad and working on new material.