The Strokes ended their second show at Coachella Festival with a loud and clear statement. Strikes carried out by the United States on Iran, and the ongoing crisis in Gaza, cannot and will not be tolerated. To see the Julian Casablancas-fronted band take this stance is not a surprise. Now, more than ever, artists are finding their voice and using it appropriately. Most are, anyway. Even those who find themselves on the wrong side of history can be credited for speaking out when some – Nick Cave and Radiohead members, particularly – are of the false belief that politics has no room in art. Art is inherently political. A lack of a political stance is, also, a political take in and of itself. It’s a selfish act to disengage with politics for the sake of providing art. Art without politics is a mouth without teeth. The Strokes have joined a growing cry for peace, but have done so with a honed performance.
Casablancas and the band performed OBLIVIUS for the first time in a decade and made a surprise addition to their setlist a staggering moment. They may well have gotten themselves on the Coachella blacklist alongside Kneecap (who produced a similar protest last year) and Blur, for not playing ball with the dismissive, on-their-phones crowd. Credit to The Strokes for using that always online, influencer-filled crowd to their advantage. Every clip of the band’s performance last night (April 18) will no doubt feature this finale, and reluctant the festival may be to repost and share that footage, it exists. Fans in the crowd have captured it, a viral sensation in the making overnight, and it adds to a rightful, growing pressure on the US and Israel to stop their monstrous strikes. This is not a popularity contest; this is The Strokes joining an ever-growing pool of artists calling out a humanitarian crisis.
While groups like Fontaines D.C., Pulp, and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn call out the horrors pushed onto the Palestinian people, others are taking a more direct and active approach. Massive Attack member Robert Del Naja was arrested for airing his support of Palestine Action earlier this week, while Pink Floyd songwriter Roger Waters scrapped plans to visit the UK because of the Metropolitan Police arresting those who support the proscribed group. Artists should never be ones to sit idly by, but as listeners, we can judge those who do and do not act, and why. Moreso, we can judge those who have acted in the past but are quiet now. The Strokes performed a song from their Future Present Past EP while they showed footage of the last university in Gaza being struck. A horrifying image, and such is the point of the power in a protest.
It’s a far cry from the hand-wringing statements released by Thom Yorke of Radiohead and U2 frontman Bono’s both sides gamble. What has become clear is what an artist can say, what they will say, and how they present it. The Strokes has its roots in the progressivism of New York City, with Casablancas endorsing Bernie Sanders during the 2020 election cycle. This one act is not newsworthy in and of itself, but it is a read on where he and the band he fronts are when it comes to the occupation of the West Bank. Crucial to all of this, particularly with The Strokes’ performance at Coachella, is that their actions reflect not a specific reaction, but a sentiment felt by people across the world.
There is a major dissonance at play, which has been highlighted time and time again. Whether it’s the protests against the Iraq War in the early 2000s or, further back from that, the miners strikes of the 1980s, there has always been a call to arms from the public, backed by musicians, filmmakers, and artists across the globe for a cause they feel prepared to support. It is not their job to understand the nuance and present a convincing case for their feelings and opinion, but what they hold is an important place in the cultural fabric of the times. They must reflect what they honestly feel. For all the flak Bono and Yorke received for their statements, at least they issued one. They have passed comment and have faced the court of public opinion. We can rip into how shortsighted those statements are, and rightly so, but we can believe, to some degree, that what they speak is at least true to their beliefs. Irrespective of how it aligns with the thoughts of others, they have at least addressed the situation.
What The Strokes has done, however, is identify the modern problem and tied it together with the historic and understandable mistrust between person and politician. Alongside the examples of horror in Iran and strikes on Gaza are historic undermining of faith in the political system. The death of Martin Luther King Jr. is mentioned on screen and pins the death of the civil rights activist as at the hands of the US government. “US Govt found guilty of his murder in civil trial,” the on-screen statement reads. A 1999 civil lawsuit jury, King v. Jowers, found that MLK’s death was caused by a conspiracy involving local, state, and federal government agencies, but this was overturned by the Department of Justice at the time, as they deemed this not credible.
Irrespective of where the blame may lie and how much you buy into politicians being active participants in the goodwill of nations across the globe, you have got to hand it to The Strokes. It’s not about compelling arguments anymore; it’s about providing clear and undeniable proof of tragedy, of warmongering, of war. That is what they did with their Coachella performance last night. Music is a response to the world around us. Nick Cave once wrote in The Red Hand Files that his music is “not written to convey a particular point of view.” He continued: “I do not come to the page with a specific concern – they are not political in that sense, they are not didactic and do not ask anything of you.
“Instead, they focus on exploring this mysterious, emergent idea which, if pursued, reveals at its core a necessary, universal message and brings an entire world into existence, opening up a new and unknown terrain.” On the one hand, it works as a way to separate the artist from their thoughts and experiences, to wipe the canvas clean and to give them a fresh route to what they wish to sing and speak of. It has worked for Cave and his career-best efforts rely on a decades-long fixation on the elusive and majesty of spiritual awakening. On the other hand, we must assess the actions of the person, and therefore their subliminal impact on the songs they deliver. As beautiful as Cave’s work is, heartfelt and honest appraisals, he is himself picking a side by suggesting his music is politically free. We must base our thoughts on previous actions, and he, along with Radiohead, performing in Tel Aviv, is a sign of where their opinions may lie.
Not every artist, again, has to take the same stance as The Strokes, but it’d be hard to issue a compelling argument against standing up for those being bombed, broken, and obliterated by world powers acting in self-interest. Good art is provocative, great art is the same but timeless. The Strokes’ Coachella performance is not just a water-cooler moment; it goes beyond that. It sets a standard for artists who find themselves on the biggest stage, irrespective of the continent. We will likely see further actions in future. Pulp pulled themselves from the Adelaide Festival after the writers’ week cancelled Randa Abdel-Fattah’s appearance. They rejoined the lineup when Abdel-Fattah accepted an apology from the festival. The UK Government lost its appeal against a ruling in favour of Kneecap member Mo Chara earlier this year. However you feel about these instances, you have to accept that the action and reaction are growing, and are not on the side of bloodthirsty governments or the bombing of innocents. The Strokes perhaps saw this as a chance to make their opinion clear, as Geese did when they accepted the International Group of the Year award at the BRITs earlier this year. “Free Palestine,” is what drummer Max Bassin said. That is all it takes.
