The Strokes Light up the o2 with Reality Awaits tour

Can a band with so many huge hits ever really be a letdown? 

Walking up the escalators at North Greenwich station, surrounded by a sea of baggy jeans and more leather jackets than I could count, it struck me that indie rock is well and truly back. With the NYC heavyweights returning to London for the first time in three years, since that famously underwhelming All Points East headline set plagued by sound issues, it felt as though the band had a point to prove.

Somewhat surprisingly, last night marked the opening of The Strokes’ first full UK tour in 20 years, a fact made all the more striking by the multigenerational crowd. Few bands have become as era-defining as The Strokes, whose influence on the indie guitar scene is undeniable. But with their latest album, Reality Awaits, proving divisive, there was a real sense of anticipation around their UK comeback, and a question of whether they could still deliver live.

As someone who wasn’t the biggest fan of their latest album, I hadn’t planned on attending this tour. In hindsight, that would have been a huge mistake. The setlist was incredible – opening with the autotune-heavy Lonely In The Future – my personal favourite from the new album, which I gained a whole new appreciation for hearing live. From there, they went straight into the hits, following it up immediately with Reptilia.

Across the tracklist was a range of songs plucked from each album, blending their eras seamlessly into what, at least for me, was the perfect show, solidified by their decision to end the encore with Ode To The Mets – well worth getting caught in the tube crush to experience. 

But what stood out for me during this gig wasn’t that the setlist was exactly what I'd hoped – or that the band performed so well you could absolutely still call this their prime, with Casablancas teasing the crowd “If you want us to never play a song, request it. I’m like the Hulk, I feed off of the rage” - it was seeing the music of a band that has spanned over 20 years connect with such a huge area crowd.

I love being in the pit at a concert – getting sweaty, dancing, connecting with strangers – but from a box above the crowd this time around, something that felt really special was seeing the small mosh pits form, friends crowd surfing to their favourite tracks, a sea of flashlights to Call It Fate, Call It Karma. In a time when it is so easy to feel disconnected, witnessing in real time an arena full of people share the same joy, feels very important.