The Strokes at Barclays Center
The Strokes at Barclays Center, photo by P Squared

The Strokes debut new song, confirm new album at Barclays on NYE (pics, videos, setlist)

The Strokes had to cancel their Governors Ball 2019 set due to weather, but the NYC band made up for it by playing a big hometown show at Barclays Center on New Year’s Eve with Mac DeMarco, Hinds, and Kirin J Callinan.

The Strokes stuck mainly to their first three albums, playing classics like “Someday,” “Last Nite,” “New York City Cops,” “Hard to Explain,” “Reptilia,” “What Ever Happened?,” “Juicebox,” “You Only Live Once,” and more, and they also broke out “Reptilia” b-side and Regina Spektor duet “Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men” for its first live performance since 2003, with Mac DeMarco doing Regina’s parts (and Julian Casablancas introduced it by saying, “For a new era, we’re gonna be a little more PC: ‘Modern Theys & Old Fashioned Thems”). Given the occasion, they covered “Auld lang syne,” and they also played the new song “The Adults Are Talking” that was debuted live in LA this past May, and then made the live debut of a second new song, “Ode to the Mets.” Before playing that song, Julian told the crowd The Strokes would have a new album out in 2020. It’ll be their first album since 2013’s Comedown Machine and first new music since their 2016 EP, Future Present Past. Here’s what Julian said, via Stereogum:

Yeah, we’ve got a new album coming out soon! 2020, here we come. The 2010s, whatever the fuck they’re called, we took ‘em off. And now we’ve been unfrozen and we’re back. If you really love someone, you’ll be frozen with them. You know what? I don’t know what I say generally, and I ramble a lot, but I love you guys, and it’s a real honor to share the stage and this night with you guys.

So far, The Strokes’ 2020 plans also include the South American Lollapaloozas, Atlanta’s Shaky Knees, and Mexico’s Tecate Pa’l Norte. Check out pictures of the Barclays Center show in the gallery above, and videos of The Strokes and their setlist below.

Meanwhile, Kirin J Callinan’s set included his cover of Momus’ “The Homosexual,” which is from Kirin’s 2019 album Return to Center, and which he released a official video for after the show. You can check that out below too.

Kirin and Mac produced the new single for Julian Casablancas’ other band, The Voidz.

Setlist
Heart in a Cage
You Only Live Once
The Modern Age
New York City Cops
The Adults Are Talking
Hard to Explain
Ize of the World
Reptilia
Auld lang syne (Robert Burns cover)
Barely Legal

Encore:
Last Nite
Modern Girls & Old Fashion Men (with Mac DeMarco) (First time live since 2003)
Ode to the Mets (New song; live debut. Under Cover of Darkness tease by Albert)
Juicebox
What Ever Happened?
Someday

photos by P Squared