The Strokes’ new album ‘Reality Awaits’ might have received mixed feedback from fans and critics alike however this didn’t stop the fans selling out Newcastle’s Utilita Arena. The evening was kicked off by two support sets, the first being a short one from followed by an hour of , which was esoteric yet strangely appealing to the audience as the comedic elements seemed to soften the bizarre musical arrangements where you weren’t sure which instrument made each noise from start to finish.
The Strokes then kicked into ‘Lonely in the Future’ to open; the first of five songs off their new record ‘Reality Awaits’. The big screens to either side of the stage flicked on with a grainy 80s style effect over the images which combined with the neon red and blue lights on the stage created a very intentionally constructed stage aesthetic. The auto-tune vocal effect from the album was also back however at least on this song it worked far better than it did on the recording and didn’t bite as hard on the vocal runs. Next came ‘Reptilia’ which felt like a completely different beast with the stage being caped in bright green and turquoise lights which stretched out over the audience. The combination of these lighting effects and the fact that the venue felt like a giant air-craft hanger made some of the more explosive numbers feel almost like a rave at times.
After this ‘Is This It?’ had its first outing, ‘Hard to Explain’ however there was a slight hiccup with this song as at one point Julian Casablancas began to sing the wrong part of the song only for the audience to correct him. He apologised after and said “it made me feel like I’m not the only one losing my mind”. The crowd settled down a bit on the next track, ‘Going to Babble On’, before releasing another loud cheer for ‘Soma’ where Casablancas displayed some great vocals. Nikolai Fraiture then introduced ‘Dime N’Dash’ where the auto-tune vocals once again sounded better than the album.
Things took a step up in the heaviness department next with ‘Juicebox’. This song also started with a count-in from drummer Fabrizio Moretti which implies that a click track was not used for the show, definitely a plus. Casablancas then casually said “moving right along”, signalling the band to drop into “The Adults Are Talking”. This was followed by another heavier tune in ‘Heart In A Cage’ which had some great high-octane sounding guitar work from stand-in .
‘One Way Trigger’ – the night’s only song from ‘Comedown Machine’ – resulted in one of the more unique moments of the evening. Just around the moment the vocals were meant to come in the song stopped abruptly. It wasn’t entirely clear what was happening but there seemed to be some disturbance in the audience near the stage which had distracted the singer and made him want to check that everything was okay before continuing. Casablancas apologised and said “shits going on down there”. He then sardonically said “I’m sooo ready this time” before the band kicked back into a second attempt at the song. Some of the higher vocals ended up getting lost in the mix though they all seemed to be hitting their notes.
The band might have thought ‘Reality Awaits’ lead single ‘Going Shopping’ would get a louder cheer than it did. This is one of my favourites on the album but the auto-tune didn’t really translate to a live setting and the song felt a little empty. It did improve during both solos from Albert Hammond Jr though. ‘Someday’ then started the final act of the show with a huge cheer.
‘Tyrants of the Mellow Moon’ had one of the most interesting light displays of the show with the stage being the darkest it was all night and the screens featuring a slow build to a flash of light. Unfortunately, the auto-tune once again felt a bit jarring, especially at the end of the song. The main set’s penultimate song ‘Take It or Leave It’ was next and featured some of the best vocals of the night building the crowd up for ‘Last Nite’. Huge cheers followed, the crowd seemed to know every word and every note when Hammond Jr’s guitar solo came in.
The most discussed part of the night was the conclusion though, and not for good reason. Instead of the tour’s customary double encore featuring four songs Newcastle got a lot less. After an extremely long break where the audience had barely cheered, one song – ‘New York City Cops’ – was the sum total. Insult was added to injury when the missing songs were seen on the night’s setlist. Seeing as though the pre-show information claimed the show would finish at 11pm the crowd were disappointed enough to boo when the band left the stage at 10:30. What’s interesting is that the venue later claimed the curfew was in fact 11 however staff on the night said it was 10:30. We might never know but the weather warning that was present in the region on the night may have played a part.
Overall, the band did put on a great show though, especially considering their reputation for being slightly hit or miss. Casablancas’s voice was on good form and the way his sauntered around the stage in his large overcoat and sunglasses had the unconventional suave of swaying Patrick Bateman with him only admitting once that he was sweating. The rest of the band were on great form as well with performing very well for a stand-in. The lighting was also spectacular throughout with it adding to how distinct each song in an intelligently crafted set felt. It created this great vintage scene full of 80s neon and flash as well as 00s grain in equal measures. The crowd was a young one for a band which has been around for a quarter century and it’s clear why. This is still the sound of youth in a way which, despite the masses trying, hasn’t really been matched since.
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Photography: Jenna Murray at the O2 Arena in London