Sliding into lunch this Wednesday with The Strokes, live at Bonnaroo 2026. Recorded this past June 25th.
The Strokes formed in 1998. They have maintained the same lineup since inception: lead vocalist and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas; guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr.; bassist Nikolai Fraiture; and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. They were a leading group of the early-2000s garage rock revival and post-punk revival movements.
The Strokes have been said to be “as influential to their era as The Velvet Underground or the Ramones were to theirs” by Lizzy Goodman in her 2017 book on the New York City music scene in the 2000s, Meet Me in the Bathroom – so named for a Strokes song from Room on Fire. “Almost every artist I interviewed for this book – from all over the world – said it was The Strokes that opened the door for them,” she said. James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem later referred to Is This It as his “record of the decade.” The Strokes have heavily influenced bands like The Killers, Arctic Monkeys, and Franz Ferdinand. Brandon Flowers of The Killers told NME that he felt “depressed” after hearing Is This It: “That record just sounded so perfect”, he said. “We threw away everything [we were working on], and the only song that made the cut and remained was “Mr. Brightside“‘. Arctic Monkeys, in particular, have paid direct tribute to the band by covering “Take It or Leave It” and “Is This It” live, as well as referencing them in the lyrics of “Star Treatment”, the opening song from their 2018 album Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino. Other bands that have cited the Strokes as an influence include Wet Leg and We Are Scientists.
Grab lunch – sit down – press play and crank it up. It’s Hump-Day after all.
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