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The Strokes: Take It Or Leave It

A fine showing in Leeds. Take it or leave it.
23 februari 2002, Leeds University Union, Leeds (GB)

Tekst: Matthew Dyson

Publicatiedatum: 05 maart 2002

Last year, a fractured hand was all it took to deprive Leeds of her share of The Strokes phenomenon. A lot of things have changed since Fab Moretti?s visit to "outpatients". These days, the band need both hands to navigate a way through the media frenzy that accompanies their every appearance. Rescheduled dates have to be juggled between award ceremonies.

So it seems fitting for the band to start the evening from a high, stumbling atop the Union balcony. The crowd are treated to a collection of Ramones tapes, but have to wait for punk to turn to pop before The Strokes appear. New York's finest finally descend through a fog of dry ice to the dying strains of Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'.

The tone is set with a blistering version of 'The Modern Age', played with all the original aplomb. From here on in, it is business as usual. The ingenious simplicity of 'Is This It' is worked from start to finish.

"This is a fun song," mumbles Casablancas before launching into 'Last Nite'. He's right, of course. In fact, it is almost too much fun for the mass of Julian lookalikes and immaculately-dressed girls, who crush their bones and dislodge vocal chords. At times, the barrage of guitars drowns the lyrics out. Nobody cares: After all, everyone knows the words by heart.

All five Strokes play with constant enthusiasm. The drain of relentless touring has done little to dampen the longevity of these tunes. Albert Hammond is a mass of hair and a beaming smile, as he hammers out the riff of 'New York City Cops'. Fittingly, the band erupt into a studied rock pose to the cheeky strut of 'When It Started'. The exclusive US release gets the thumbs-up from across the pond.

Subtly woven between familiar anthems, we are treated to premieres of the songs crafted on last year's American tour. Those with MP3 players or air miles work themselves into frenzy with 'Ze Nieu', collectively known as "the newy" by bootleggers. A thousand girls cross their fingers in unison to the suggestive chorus of 'Meet Me In The Bathroom'. Any fear of the band reaching their peak too soon are thrown on the fire with so many other bad ideas.

The show ends like the album. There are no encores, just feedback. This is rock'n'roll at its best. Take it or leave it.

http://www.kindamuzik.net/live/the-strokes/the-strokes-take-it-or-leave-it/1378/
Meer The Strokes op KindaMuzik: http://www.kindamuzik.net/artiest/the-strokes