Strokes : Leeds University Union
By: NME Reviews
March 14th 2002 2:43pm
Americans probably havent had such a warm welcome in Leeds since they came bearing nylons in World War II. Overpaid, oversexed and over here, The Strokes confront a feverish crowd in the middle of the most dramatic week in their career so far one of those great pop moments when everything goes exactly right. Last Wednesday, at the Brits, they were the ideal combination of sloppy and cool in performance and acceptance speech alike. In a couple of days time, theyll crown their year with a clutch of NME Carling Awards. But Leeds is the place where on a Saturday night, The Strokes condense all the extraneous excitements into a landmark hour of flawless rock n roll. Earlier in the evening, watched from the balcony by their New York patrons and The White Stripes (Meg, off duty, was wearing - gasp - a blue top), The Libertines had provided a taster of why they might be your next new favourite band, while French duo Stereo Total brought the comedy Eurotrash vibes. Then, an intro tape including Ennio Morricone, The Ramones,Michael Jackson s Smooth Criminal and Billie Jean and finally Cyndi Laupers Girls Just Wanna Have Fun further illustratedThe Strokes good taste. And then finally theyre here, lit so gloomily that they look like the wraiths from Lord Of The Rings, swathed in dry ice under a static glitter ball and playing a slowed-down version of The Modern Age. The crowd experiences a mass adrenalin power surge. Well, you just would, wouldnt you? In this week's NME Exclusively with this week's NME, Andrew WK, The White Stripes and Muse on video PLUS interviews with The Strokes and Starsailor! Click here to subscribe and get up to 30% off The show includes all the songs The Strokes have ever released, and two they havent. After a version of Someday which nails the muscular wistfulness absent in pop music sinceThe Smiths, we hear the first of them. Still lacking a title (well, why rush these things?) its ska-tinged, has a brilliant tune, incites mass pogoing, and is the perfect development from Is This It. (Older readers should think Suede meetsMadness, or maybeBlondie.) As the lights remain dim so dim that theyre are visible only in silhouette The Strokes tackle New York City Cops. The most controversial song in their repertoire thanks to September 11, its so triumphantly anthemic that it makes you feel sorry for the Americans denied it on the US edition of the album. After a typically graceful apology for cancelling their previous Leeds gig, Julian leads the rest of the band into the elusive and ambiguous Soma, while When It Started and Is This It ensure the audience keeps foaming. The Strokes have a slim catalogue, but there isnt a bad song in it; onstage, they dont put a foot wrong. A triple whammy of Barely Legal, Hard To Explain and Last Nite (with slightly more explicit lyrics "they aint never gonna understand shit") causes audience meltdown, while Trying My Luck adds a note of melancholy to night of roaring triumph. Then comes the first British airing of Meet Me In The Bathroom. Paced at about the same tempo as Is This It, the chorus goes "Meet me in the bathroom/Thats what she said/I dont mind if its you". Both louche and touching, its a summary of everything that makes The Strokes great. By the time Take It Or Leave It rolls around, its a shoo-in for rock n roll gig of the year. There is, of course, no encore (five yanks and theyre off). But no-one goes home disappointed. Confident, sensitive, thrilling and sexy, The Strokes make being in a great rock n roll band look almost disgustingly easy. Who knows how long the magic will last but for now, no-one can touch them.
 © IPC MEDIA 2002, All rights reserved.
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