This Is It: New York City indie rock icons The Strokes are returning to tour Australia.

The band will hit our shores in February, headlining four East Coast shows. The tour kicks off in Brisbane, before two dates in Melbourne and wrapping up in Sydney. 

They’ll be joined by some very special guests. Namely, Beck (Sydney only), Courtney Barnett and Promiseland.

From the beginning, with the five-piece’s era-defining 2001 debut album Is This It, The Strokes are responsible for some of this millennium’s most iconic rock music and remain an in-demand live act.

From 2006’s First Impressions of Earth to 2020’s Grammy winning The New Abnormal, their instantly recognisable sound has undergone variations over the years, most notably on their latest album Reality Awaits.

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The group’s intriguingly weird seventh album features flashes of their “classic” sound but was more interested in subverting their choppy guitars for synths, sleazy grooves, and Casablancas’ fondness for auto-tune.

As we previously wrote: “If Is This It cemented The Strokes as poster boys for a hip, optimistic indie rock revival for the new millennium, then Reality Awaits is the fittingly curdled soundtrack of our surreal 2020s dystopia, right down to its cover: A nostalgic image of a cowboy, a heroic relic of a long-since rotten American Dream.”

No matter what you think of Reality Awaits, The Strokes have rarely disappointed on their frequent visits to Australia.

They first hit our shores in 2001, playing support to You Am I as their profile swiftly ballooned with the success of Is This It.

Returning in 2004 for unfairly maligned second album Room On Fire, The Strokes were a drawcard at the Big Day Out. The group have mostly toured down under as part of festival line-ups ever since.

Last year, they headlined Adelaide’s Harvest Rock (currently on hiatus) and prior to that headlined Splendour In The Grass (also in absentia) in 2022, 2016 and 2010.

Feature Album: Ride Lonesome rounds out a ‘sad Beck’ trilogy

Joining The Strokes, in Sydney only, will be Beck. Back in town after last year’s orchestral tour, the musical shape-shifter has turned his attention to bittersweet Americana for Ride Lonesome – this week’s Double J Feature Album.

Plus, playing all dates will be deadset local legend Courtney Barnett, showing off her excellent fourth album Creature of Habit, and Promiseland, dubbed “The Future Prince of Anarchy” by Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas who signed him to his Cult Records label.

Each time The Strokes are in town, it’s a reminder of their legacy and synergy. 

It’s hard to deny an evening spent basking in tunes like ‘Last Nite’, ‘Someday’, ‘Reptilia’, ‘The Adults Are Talking’, ‘You Only Live Once’, ’12:51′ — the list goes on.

Catch The Strokes at the following dates, proudly co-presented by Double J. Tickets are on sale 29 September, 1pm local time.

Saturday 13 February 2027 — Brisbane Entertainment Centre: Turrbal Jagera Land, Brisbanewith special guests Beck, Courtney Barnett and Promiseland

Tuesday 16 February 2027 — Rod Laver Arena: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land, Melbournewith special guests Courtney Barnett and Promiseland

Wednesday 17 February 2027 — Rod Laver Arena: Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Land, Melbournewith special guests Courtney Barnett and Promiseland

Saturday 20 February 2027 — Centennial Park: Gadigal Land, Sydneywith special guests Courtney Barnett and Promiseland

Posted Thu 24 Sep 2026 at 6:00amThu 24 Sep 2026 at 6:00amThu 24 Sep 2026 at 6:00am