Luke Spiller has had a year of “achievements.” He mentions the term twice during our conversation. Once in connection with his group the Struts, who celebrated the 10-year anniversary of their debut album, Everybody Wants, with a major tour. And once when speaking about his debut solo album, Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine. He’s capping 2025 with “An Evening With the Struts” at the Grammy Museum on December 8—which is sold out—and a trio of (also sold out) intimate solo gigs at The Sun Rose in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles. In a fitting finale for 2025, Spiller’s recorded a somewhat dark and gritty version of Slade’s 1973 holiday staple, “Merry Xmas Everybody.”
“The Christmas song nobody asked for until they realized they needed it,” he laughs over the phone a couple of days before its release. Spiller’s choice is more intentional than it might seem on the surface. While Slade were a massive act in their native U.K., they didn’t make inroads in the U.S.—although, Spiller reminds me, Quiet Riot did very well with their covers of Slade’s “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” and “Cum on Feel the Noiz.”
“I thought by releasing this song here [in the U.S.], where my fan base predominantly is, I could introduce them to one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time,” he says. “I consciously wanted to make sure that it was tied into Luke Spiller solo world, hence why it’s not this really big upbeat rock song.”
Spiller’s take almost makes “Merry Xmas Everybody” an un-Christmas song. The video, which is shot at the iconic Los Angeles River, the same sloping concrete location of the memorable drag race in Grease, could not be less Christmassy—or less cliché. The only thing remotely holiday-ish about the video is Spiller himself, who rides his tricked-out lowrider bicycle around the grim urban area wearing a custom red velvet suit, a Santa hat, and a giant red bow around his neck.
“What’s more Christmassy than a British guy in L.A. with fake snow?” he chuckles. “It’s got a good bit of humor to it.”
It’s fantastic to hear Spiller in such great spirits. When we spoke earlier this year for “The Essentials” after the release of Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine, he wasn’t in the most confident head space. After decades of making music, he had discovered a singular voice—separate from what he does with the Struts—with his astounding solo work. Years of graft and self-discovery went into the album’s creation only for Spiller, and the Struts, to be dropped from their label in quick succession. It was quite a blow for Spiller, who put his entire being into the intimate and confessional songs on Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine. His validation came while touring the record.
“Honestly, I had no idea what to expect,” he says. “My Spotify page has got between 25,000 and 27,000 monthly listeners, which is really modest compared to the Struts that has 2.6 million. I was like, ‘Is anyone even listening to this music?’ But from the get-go, each show was just incredible. 500 people a night, minimum. They knew every word to every single song, not just the focus tracks, and that was something to witness. It’s the first small step to continuing to pursue this different side of my career. I can’t wait to do more.”
Spiller’s positive experiences and creative fulfillment have had a rollover effect on his Struts bandmates. “It’s actually improved my writing relationship,” he says. “When I wake up now and I’m in the mood to do a proper rock and roll song, I put on my Struts hat and start writing. When I get a bit more introspective, instead of having to discard that like I would have done previously, I now have a platform for those kinds of moods and songs. It’s been a creatively liberating experience and it’s brought the band closer together.”
In fact, things are going so well that Spiller intends to complete two albums or EPs each year moving forward, one solo and one with the Struts. It’s an ambitious plan to be sure, but, he says, “Now’s the time to fucking do it.”
