When The Struts opened for the Rolling Stones’ 2014 Paris sell-out, they were anointed: officially cool, now and forever—‘cause The Stones are not going to let some milquetoast losers open for them, right?

The Struts are four English guys who play classic rock, like The Stones, who influenced The Struts sound, as did other iconic British rockers such as Queen, The Smiths, Oasis, and My Chemical Romance. You can hear the influence of Def Leppard’s 1986 “Pour Some Sugar on Me” in The Struts new pop-rock release “Put Your Money On Me” –similar titles, with similar melodic energy.

Both Def Leppard and The Struts (and The Stones, too) have that hard driving, guitar smashing, angst and destruction; a black leather jacket, a chip on the shoulder, a theme that has been a pop and rock mainstay for 50 years—a youthful, testosterone driven genre, not violent per se but explosive and loud. Classic rockers take up a lot of space, are in your face, and fill an absolute need on the music spectrum.

Thirty years ago, when the oldest Boomer was 40-years old, Def Leppard reflected our reality just as The Struts do today for our kids. Or grand-kids.

The Struts “Put Your Money On Me”, is on Alternative radio and just entered the Top 40 format.