Summary of this article
The Strokes turned political at Coachella 2026.
In their controversial performance at the music festival, the rock band addressed the crimes of the US and Israel in Iran.
They displayed a video montage of images of US crimes in Gaza.
American rock band The Strokes concluded their Coachella 2026 Weekend Two set with a visual montage calling out the CIA and US government. They made a strong political statement in the video that showed footage of universities in Iran and Gaza that the US and Israel have bombed and destroyed. The band ended with the track "OBLIVIUS," from their 2016 EP Future Present Past, which they performed for the first time in a decade Saturday night (April 18).
Strokes Coachella video montage
The Strokes' Coachella video montage displayed images of leaders targeted by the CIA, including Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, Bolivian President Juan José Torres, Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos, Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz, Chilean President Salvador Allende, and Ecuadorian President Jaime Roldós.
It showed recent American bombings in the Middle East with the caption: “Over 30 universities destroyed in Iran”. It also featured another video clip of a huge building in Gaza being blown up in a military strike, with the caption: “Last university standing in Gaza.”
According to reports, the video also stated the US government was "found guilty" of Martin Luther King Jr.'s murder in a civil trial, a reference to 1999's King family v. Loyd Jowers, in which a jury found restaurant owner Loyd Jowers and "others, including government agencies," responsible for King's assassination.
Singer Julian Casablancas, in the song’s chorus, repeated the statement, “What side are you standing on?” with the video montage ending abruptly and the band walking off the stage.
The Strokes recently announced a world tour that will kick off in June and run through the fall.
