You Only Live Once, So Please Watch The Strokes When You Can

By Dale B  •  07 Aug 2023 in Music

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After a cancelled show that was supposed to happen during the Good Vibes Festival, The Strokes was not able to play in Malaysia. As a trade-off, the New York rock band had a second concert in Singapore for longtime fans to attend. 

Whether you went to the first or second night in Singapore, The Strokes brought their A-game on stage at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre. The underground venue provided ample space for fans to rock their socks off with the band’s greatest hits. 

With this particular JUICE writer being a longtime fan, a lot was riding on this show and needless to say, The Strokes delivered in spades on both nights of their Singapore shows. 

Photos taken by JUICE and The Strokes’ Facebook page via @aloysiuslim and @alvieisalive.

You Only Live Once

Before The Strokes took center stage, the artist Promiseland also known as Johann Rashid warmed up the crowd with his eclectic mix. Signed to Julian Casablancas’ Cult Records as well as being half-Malaysian, the second day crowd especially partied hard during Promiseland’s set.

Reviving post-punk in 2001 with their debut album Is This It, The Strokes have earned a legendary reputation in the world of music, directly influencing other major acts like Arctic Monkeys and The Killers. After a string of three albums, the band has taken a number of breaks, but they would always return time and time again with a new album to ail our longing. 

Recently releasing their Singles – Volume 1 collection of early hits, fans anticipated more of The Strokes’ pre-2010s songs to be part of their setlist. Of course, a handful of songs from their Grammy award-winning album, The New Abnormal, made the cut. 

Disappointingly, songs from the fourth and fifth albums, Angles and Comedown Machine were omitted from the setlist. So old-school fans of Is This It, Room on Fire, and First Impressions of Earth were in for a treat. 

Last Nite

The frontman, Julian Casablancas, was in top form, making jokes throughout the night on Asian bidets and making an impromptu song on Darth Plagueis the Wise from Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. 

Guitarists, Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. also displayed their signature duelling guitar sounds, especially on Reptilia. Fraiture also had a turn on the electric keyboards, while Hammond Jr. kept the crowd engaged on stage right with his killer guitar solos and fills. 

Drummer, Fabrizio Moretti really proved that he is the heart of the group, effortlessly keeping the beat going with each and every song. Last but not least, bassist, Nikolai Fraiture shined through despite being the shyest in the band, with songs like ‘Is This It’ showing off his amazing range. 

Between each night, The Strokes mainly played the same set of songs, though the aforementioned ‘Is This It’ was swapped out for the more raucous Juicebox on the second night, as well as the return of the much-beloved ‘Take It or Leave It’. Either way, The Strokes were in top form and brought Marina Bay Sands down on both nights. 

The Modern Age

From belting out hit after hit, whether it’s the more recent ‘Bad Decisions’ or the millennial classic ‘Last Nite’, The Strokes riled up the crowd into a storm. Truly, you know it is a great concert when fans vocalise guitar riffs with every song. 

The mostly Malaysian crowd on August 3 brought a ton of energy, much to the band’s surprise. Casablancas himself, along with bassist Fraiture addressed the Malaysian crowd and thanked them for coming all the way. 

It is a godsend that they got to play in Singapore for two nights at all, and yet, once you’ve seen The Strokes, all you want is more. Especially with the omissions of key songs like ‘Under Cover of Darkness’ and ‘Selfless’, there’s a lot more The Strokes can offer in future shows. 

If you are even just a minor fan of The Strokes, seeing them once in a lifetime is a must and you won’t regret it. They are masters of their crafts which is a clear contrast from the more hard sound of Muse last week. We sincerely hope all of you get to see The Strokes in your lifetime.