STROKES, THE
NEW ENGLAND GATEWAY

The Strokes formed in New York City in 1998, comprising singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio Moretti. Channelling their shared love of Velvet Underground grit, Stooges swagger and CBGB-era attitude, the band quickly rose to prominence with their debut album, Is This It, in 2001. The record was an immediate critical and commercial triumph, topping numerous year-end lists and later being ranked among Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” Follow-ups Room on Fire (2003) and First Impressions of Earth (2006) cemented their influence, while Grammy nominations, sold-out world tours and festival-headlining slots confirmed their place as torchbearers of a revived New York rock scene.

After a decade of reinvention, the band released Comedown Machine in 2013, an adventurous fifth album that pushed their sound into new territory, blending icy synth textures with the taut guitar interplay that had defined their early work. Three years later came the Future Present Past EP – a tight, three-track release featuring the soaring “OBLIVIUS”, the jagged “Drag Queen” and the urgent “Threat of Joy”, along with a remix of the former by drummer Fabrizio Moretti.

Around the EP’s release, The Strokes performed only a select handful of shows, each one charged with the energy of a band still able to surprise. Chief among them was the 31 May 2016 performance at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York – an intimate yet high-stakes setting for a group whose name had become synonymous with arena and festival stages. Taking place just three days before the EP’s release, it offered a rare opportunity to witness the band in such close quarters at this stage of their career.