The Strokes, All Points East review: Turn it up! Inaudible nostalgia from the US rockers
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
‘I’ve got nothing to say,” frontman Julian Casablancas moaned into the microphone that he would end up cradling all night at Victoria Park. For a large section of the All Points East audience who weren’t near the front, these words (from the band’s 2006 hit Ask Me Anything) would have held a sense of irony – if the singer did have anything to say, there was a good chance they couldn’t hear it anyway.
Widely credited with bringing garage rock “back from the dead” in the early Noughties, The Strokes were met with cheers of appreciation when they sauntered onto the London stage on Friday night. Within minutes, however, those cheers had descended into chants of “Turn it up!”. “I’m f---ing louder than them,” one disgruntled fan shouted as restless chatter – and even some booing – broke out, overpowering the American rockers’ muffled vocals and guitar riffs.
This wasn’t the first time that sound issues have plagued The Strokes at the Tower Hamlets festival – APE organisers apologised in 2019 for a similar debacle – all of which begs the question, how on earth did this happen again?
What made the whole thing even more frustrating was that the American rockers shakily hit a number of the nostalgic sweet-spots before they had warmed up and the acoustics had been sorted, kicking off the night with three tracks which were over 20 years old: Room on Fire’s What Ever Happened and two numbers from their much-cherished 2001 debut album Is This It – Alone Together and Last Nite (their most recognisable crowd-pleaser).
Carrying a reputation for being effortlessly cool, Casablancas and co initially appeared laid-back and lethargic to the point of indifference. Donning shades, a studded leather glove and a waistcoat, the staggering 45-year-old singer was, on occasion, so huddled over his microphone, that he looked like he was about to have a nap.
Thankfully, the band perked up around half-way through and the sound levels improved. Hitting their stride during the 2001 number Soma, the quintet finally seemed to be enjoying themselves and when they got to Someday, the lyric “When we was young, oh man, did we have fun” even felt pretty convincing.
Heavy on the old tunes, the setlist was their saving grace. Half of the 20 songs they performed were taken from their first two albums, but there was also a healthy smattering of the best of the rest – including 2020’s Ode to the Mets.
Luckily, Friday’s other nostalgic indie rock offering at the Festival, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, fared much better. Karen O and her band – also American – started their career supporting The Strokes before releasing their EP in 2001, so it was a nice touch to see them doing so again.
Throwing off her glittery black and orange cape to reveal an even more fabulous outfit underneath, the 44-year-old singer was an infectious force onstage, dancing the evening away and tributing their most famous number Maps to the late Sinead O’Connor.
The trio know how to throw a party, agilely moving between low-key synth song Spitting Off the Edge of the World and the riotous dance-rock anthem Heads Will Roll. Amping up the theatrics, Karen O’s howling finish triumphantly ended with her swallowing the microphone. It was a shame to note, however, that the crowds had already started scattering by this point because the headliners had inconceivably been scheduled to perform on the other side of the park 10 minutes later.
Even though the Yeah Yeah Yeahs brought joy, it’s really not good enough that fans should spend upwards of £50 on a headliner they struggle to hear. Hopefully, something changes now and we don’t end up with the same situation again.
All Points East continues until Monday. Tickets: www.allpointseastfestival.com
