
The Strokes stayed together 'for financial reasons'
The Juicebox hitmakers - who released their first EP in 2001 - haven't released an album since 2020's The New Abnormal and frontman Julian Casablancas explained he has been more focused on his other project The Voidz because The Strokes had lost "creativity".
He told Rolling Stone Italia: 'When I started making music, becoming passionate about my dreams and vision, I had a very clear idea of how I wanted things to evolve.
'My journey with the Strokes became something different from what initially attracted me to music.'
Noting bands like Bon Jovi and Green Day showed The Strokes could have "gone on forever", he added: 'We had entered a mechanism that kept us together solely for financial reasons, pushing the band's creativity into the background.
'So I came to the conclusion that wasn't the way I wanted to develop.
'There's a beautiful Miles Davis quote: 'The real risk is not changing.' That's why I always want to feel like I'm searching for something unexplored. If I make money, that's fine, but I don't want to stay still. I'm not looking for security or the status quo.
"If someone wants to keep creating, they have to be ready for change. Even if it means the death of something they held dear.'
The 46-year-old musician previously admitted The Strokes' 2001 hit Last Nite is "pretty dead" to him and he'd switch it off if it came on the radio.
Quizzed on which song he can no longer listen to, Julian told The Guardian newspaper: "Last Nite by The Strokes is pretty dead to me. I'm not sure why.
"There are some others like Reptilia, Hard To Explain, Someday, Take It Or Leave It, New York City Cops that are comparable in terms of crowd reaction that I'm not quite as sick of. If I heard it on the radio, I'd probably turn it off."
The singer has previously expressed his distaste for performing The Strokes' older hits live as he finds that the "music doesn't move you" after playing the same tunes repeatedly.
He said in 2020: "When you're growing up and imagining playing music, it is for the excitement, but the one aspect of doing it for a living that is a sadness you don't anticipate is that you play songs so much, you become sick of them.
"We hadn't played for a while. So it was still fun, but when you start playing 30 or 40 shows, the music doesn't move you. You feel phoney. To some extent, that's why I play with (side project) The Voidz. I couldn't care less about playing Last Nite."
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ABC News
14-08-2025
- ABC News
The Strokes, Jelly Roll, The War On Drugs to headline Adelaide's Harvest Rock in 2025
It's been a tough few years for Australian music festivals, but an Adelaide event has bucked the trend and is being revived from a rough year off. Harvest Rock is back for 2025. And if you're a South Australian festival fan, chances are you've already got its October comeback marked on your calendar. Originally launched by Splendour/Falls Festival promoter Secret Sounds and events juggernaut Live Nation in 2022, the two-day festival had previously featured big-name internationals including Jamiroquai, Jack White, Beck and Khruangbin. For 2025, Harvest Rock maintains that scale as overseas acts mixing it up with homegrown favourites on Kaurna Country in Adelaide over the final weekend of October. New York indie rock icons, The Strokes, sit atop the bill, playing their first Australian show since a 2022 visit around Splendour In The Grass. More significantly, their Saturday headlining set at Harvest Rock is exclusive and will be the band's first show in Adelaide in almost 20 years. From their era-defining debut album Is This It through to 2020's Grammy-snatching The New Abnormal, The Strokes are behind some of the most influential modern rock of their generation. Their sharp, instantly recognisable sound also sounds excellent live, and they've rarely disappointed on previous tours. Two more of Harvest Rock's big attractions are country music sensations Jelly Roll (headlining Sunday night) and Shaboozey, both touring Australia for the first time (and both heading up the launch of new music festival, Strummingbird). Jelly Roll is the tattooed, Tennessee vocal powerhouse behind hits like Liar, Need A Favour and Son Of A Sinner, his husky vocals and hooky songcraft making him a near-permanent resident on the US and Australian country music charts. Meanwhile, Shaboozey cemented his hip-hop slant on country with the ubiquitous A Bar Song (Tipsy), which was the second biggest single in Australia last year. He arrives off the back of third album, Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going, its title doubling as his future-facing genre-splicing approach to country music. Another Harvest Rock exclusive is The War On Drugs, the Grammy winning American rock band fronted by founder and frontman Adam Granduciel. Their latest, I Don't Live Here Anymore was one of the best albums of 2021, and their live show is never less than enveloping. Best known for genre-and-culture-blending hits Paper Planes, Bad Girls and Galang, M.I.A. has long been a polarising figure, bringing attention to tough political issues, especially those related to her Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. But especially in recent years, due to her controversial stance on vaccinations and a conspiracy theory-friendly fashion line designed to block out 5G and WiFi waves. That said, she's always been a magnetic performer. Other notable overseas acts include hugely successful electronic music duo Groove Armada, delivering a DJ set, reunited British dubstep producers Skream & Benga, empowering country singer-songwriters Julia Cole and Drew Baldridge. Plus, a Ministry Of Sound Classical set, which as it says on the tin, combines an orchestra with a whole history of dance music hits. Harvest Rock really shines on the homegrown front. Riptide hit-maker Vance Joy is at the pointy end of the bill, alongside the sun-soaked hooks of pop-rock siblings Lime Cordiale. Royel Otis, the Sydney indie rock duo who swept last year's ARIA Awards, are adding Harvest Rock into their October homecoming tour schedule. They've spent most of the year playing overseas, capitalising on the massive viral success of their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 2001 pop hit Murder On The Dancefloor for triple j's Like A Version. There are a few bookings that arrive fresh from charting in the Hottest 100 of Australian Songs. Those include Wolfmother, playing their blockbuster self-titled 2005 album of psych-and-blues hard rock in full, and The Presets, the electro ragers behind deathless banger, My People. They'll pair well with fellow Sydney party-starters PNAU and Shooting Stars hit-makers Bag Raiders. Cloud Control will bring the nostalgia with a set extending its 15th anniversary celebrations behind its debut album. You've also got Genesis Owusu, another ARIA-hoovering talent, who is currently teasing a third album to fill out his trailblazing discography. Plus, festival favourites The Jungle Giants, the lush vocal harmonies of Folk Bitch Trio, DJ and producer Anna Lunoe, Newcastle's internationally renowned rockers Vacations, and Adelaide's very own loud and proud duo Teenage Joans. Besides featuring enough music to keep you moving all weekend long, Harvest Rock also prides itself on providing a family-friendly environment, with plenty to keep the little ones occupied. Beyond the two main music stages, a third stage will focus on comedy and culinary events. That's in line with previous editions of Harvest Rock and their focus on supporting and showcasing South Australia's enviable food and beverage selections. Here's the day-by-day line-up for Harvest Rock festival as it currently stands: The Strokes (Aus exclusive), The War On Drugs (Aus exclusive), Vance Joy, M.I.A., Lime Cordiale, Wolfmother (performing self-titled debut album), The Presets, Skream & Benga, Genesis Owusu, The Jungle Giants, Cloud Control (15th anniversary performance), Vacation, Bag Raiders (Live), Teenage Joans, Divebar Youth, Sunsick Daisy, Oscar The Wild, Any Young Mechanic Jelly Roll, Royel Otis, Ministry of Sound Classical, Groove Armada (DJ set), Shaboozey, PNAU, Lauren Spencer Smith, Ruel, Sneaky Sound System, The Dreggs, Drew Baldridge, Julia Cole, Folk Bitch Trio, Mild Minds, Anna Lunoe, Velvet Trip, Towns, Coldwave, Colter, Apollo. 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Perth Now
09-08-2025
- Perth Now
The Strokes stayed together 'for financial reasons'
The Strokes stayed together "for financial reasons". The Juicebox hitmakers - who released their first EP in 2001 - haven't released an album since 2020's The New Abnormal and frontman Julian Casablancas explained he has been more focused on his other project The Voidz because The Strokes had lost "creativity". He told Rolling Stone Italia: 'When I started making music, becoming passionate about my dreams and vision, I had a very clear idea of how I wanted things to evolve. 'My journey with the Strokes became something different from what initially attracted me to music.' Noting bands like Bon Jovi and Green Day showed The Strokes could have "gone on forever", he added: 'We had entered a mechanism that kept us together solely for financial reasons, pushing the band's creativity into the background. 'So I came to the conclusion that wasn't the way I wanted to develop. 'There's a beautiful Miles Davis quote: 'The real risk is not changing.' That's why I always want to feel like I'm searching for something unexplored. If I make money, that's fine, but I don't want to stay still. I'm not looking for security or the status quo. "If someone wants to keep creating, they have to be ready for change. Even if it means the death of something they held dear.' The 46-year-old musician previously admitted The Strokes' 2001 hit Last Nite is "pretty dead" to him and he'd switch it off if it came on the radio. Quizzed on which song he can no longer listen to, Julian told The Guardian newspaper: "Last Nite by The Strokes is pretty dead to me. I'm not sure why. "There are some others like Reptilia, Hard To Explain, Someday, Take It Or Leave It, New York City Cops that are comparable in terms of crowd reaction that I'm not quite as sick of. If I heard it on the radio, I'd probably turn it off." The singer has previously expressed his distaste for performing The Strokes' older hits live as he finds that the "music doesn't move you" after playing the same tunes repeatedly. He said in 2020: "When you're growing up and imagining playing music, it is for the excitement, but the one aspect of doing it for a living that is a sadness you don't anticipate is that you play songs so much, you become sick of them. "We hadn't played for a while. So it was still fun, but when you start playing 30 or 40 shows, the music doesn't move you. You feel phoney. To some extent, that's why I play with (side project) The Voidz. I couldn't care less about playing Last Nite."

ABC News
11-06-2025
- ABC News
The Strokes guest program rage (2005)
People? They don't understand. Girlfriends? They don't understand. In spaceships?? They won't understand… But rage fans will understand that this week's Vault Guest Programmer is a band that scarcely requires any introduction: The Strokes. Join OG bandmates (and prep-school buddies!) Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi and Fabrizio Moretti as they play music video roulette with the rage red book. First aired back in 2005, on the very festive December 24th, this rage ep captures The Strokes in an absolute golden era of their success and caps off a fabulous year of rage Guest Programmers (a whole two decades ago!). Expect a cheeky show with a bunch of fun clips from artists including Beck, The Bee Gees, PJ Harvey and whoever else Fab thinks is, well, fab. Kicking off at 11:08pm this Friday on ABC Entertains (or stream live on ABC iview!).