The three towers of lights beaming onto The Strokes might resemble those of an industrial-sized jukebox, but the band aren’t here to act as our music machine. “If you want us to never play a song, request it,” frontman Julian Casablancas responds when a fan shouts out a song title early on tonight (October 6), the first of two shows at London’s The O2. “I’m like The Hulk – I feed on your rage.”
It’s been just over three years since the New Yorkers were last in town to headline All Points East in 2023, and things feel different. They’ve never been the type of band to prioritise crowd-pleasing over their vision, but there was a while when it felt like they were going through the motions for the paycheque that comes with being in such a revered band. Since releasing their latest album ‘Reality Awaits’ in July and touring it at shows across the US, though, there’s been a palpable shift: whisper it, but it seems like The Strokes might just be enjoying being The Strokes again.
There’s something distinctly playful about Casablancas in particular tonight. He begins ‘Going Shopping’ by ad-libbing new lines and announcing, mid-first verse, that he’s going to attempt a “Walton Goggins imitation” in a nod to the track’s music video. Throughout the set, he twists lyrics (the last word in ‘Juicebox’’s “For a while, it was nice, but it’s time to say bye” becomes a good-natured “f*** off”), and follows the Alex Turner playbook of slowing down fan favourites, catching the audience singing along out with his new pace. During ‘Gratisfaction’, parts of which are delivered with a Dylan rasp, he turns to drummer Fab Moretti and asks: “You like that old-time rock’n’roll, Fab?” When his bandmate doesn’t respond, Casablancas bends down to peer at him through his drum kit.
High spirits aside, there are some slightly jarring things about tonight. It takes a while to adjust to the absence of guitarist Nick Valensi, who is currently on a “temporary break”, although Longwave’s Steve Schiltz does a respectable job as his stand-in. It’s also odd to see the crowd give The Strokes the arena act treatment, a sea of phone flashlights going up for ‘Call It Fate, Call It Karma’, ‘Under Control’ and ‘Ode To The Mets’.
But neither gripe can hold the band back from greatness. Tonight’s setlist is delectably good. There are plenty of classics peppered throughout, from early hitters ‘Reptilia’ and ‘Heart In A Cage’, to a thrashy ‘New York City Cops’ and an incendiary ‘Take It Or Leave It’, while newer material like ‘Dine N’Dash’ and ‘Tyrants Of The Mellow Moon’ allow the five-piece to venture into more intriguing territory. A cover of Blonde Redhead’s ‘This Is Not’ is unexplained but pretty, and set closer ‘Ode To The Mets’ makes a last-minute bid for highlight of the set.
After ‘Gratisfaction’, Casablancas hands the mic to bassist Nikolai Fraiture, who nods to some of the band’s earliest gigs in London at venues far smaller than The O2. In the 25 years since their first UK show, The Strokes have had their ups and downs, and their moments when it felt like they’d rather be doing anything but playing together. Right now, though, they’re firmly on a high – doing things their way and sounding as vital as they ever have.
The Strokes played:
‘Lonely In The Future’
‘Reptilia’
‘The Adults Are Talking’
‘Heart In A Cage’
‘Dine N’Dash’
‘Hard To Explain’
‘Automatic Stop’
‘Going Shopping’
‘Going To Babble On’
‘New York City Cops’
‘Tyrants Of The Mellow Moon’
‘Juicebox’
‘Gratisfaction’
‘Call It Fate, Call It Karma’
‘You Only Live Once’
‘Meet Me In The Bathroom’
‘Someday’
‘Evening Sun’
‘Take It Or Leave It’
‘Under Control’
‘This Is Not’ (Blonde Redhead cover)
‘Last Nite’
‘Ode To The Mets’
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