Why You Should Go See The Strokes at Jazz Fest

The last year or so has been very exciting in the world of The Strokes. Amazingly, it’s been almost a decade since the highly influential Brit-Rock and post-punk revivalists released their seminal, overnight success debut LP Is This It. After last summer’s first American appearance in over four years at Chicago’s Lollapalooza, a critically acclaimed solo release from front man Julian Casablancas in ’09 (Phrazes for the Young – an excellent and highly recommended album), and a new album called Angles out later next month (March 22), the buzz surrounding The Strokes is arguably as high as it’s been since the fever pitch it hit in the early 2000s. Like the previous night’s headliner Arcade Fire, The Strokes have hit the uncommon trifecta of American festivals, having already secured appearances at Coachella, Jazz Fest, and Bonnaroo. This fact can be attributed in large part to the band’s broad international appeal and marketability to three markedly different festival crowds.

Expect a sleek set design, high-fashion, and an acerbic, brash, and confidently swagger-ed performance on Saturday, May 7 (probably at the Gentilly Stage opposite Jimmy Buffett – not too many cross-over fans I expect). For a straight-laced, no frills rock show (a rarity in today’s over-synth’d modern rock world) at Jazz Fest 2011, The Strokes are your best bet.

The Strokes have released the first single from Angles called “Under Cover of Darkness,” a new song dripping with Casablancas’ cooler-than-thou nonchalance.

And here’s that new single —

The Strokes – Under Cover of Darkness

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwxcQvB_vcQ

Despite all this talk about a rock-star brashness, this recent SNL Digital Short makes it abundantly clear that The Strokes don’t take themselves too seriously —

Julian Casablancas with Andy Sandberg (Lonely Island)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yvEYKRF5IA