Strokes' Coachella set denounces US intervention
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- The Strokes performed their 2016 song 'Oblivius' at Coachella's second weekend, ending their set with a LED montage of world leaders tied to CIA interventions.
- Julian Casablancas sang the line 'What side you standing on?' while the montage displayed figures such as Patrice Lumumba, Jacobo Árbenz, Juan José Torres, Salvador Allende, Mohammad Mosaddegh, Martin Luther King Jr., Omar Torrijos, and Jaime Roldós Aguilera.
- The montage concluded with footage claiming that more than 30 Iranian universities have been destroyed by US‑Israeli airstrikes and that al‑Israa University in Gaza was demolished in 2024.
- The clip of the performance quickly went viral, reaching over 5.1 million views on X before being removed.
- Julian Casablancas referenced 'Iran Lego videos' and blamed YouTube, the government, or 'whatever' for their removal, after YouTube had taken down the Explosive Media channel for spam and deceptive practices.
- The Strokes join a recent trend of festival acts using stages for political statements, following Gigi Perez’s call for 'free Palestine' at Coachella and the Irish hip‑hop group Kneecap’s anti‑Israel messages the year before.
Why it matters: The performance amplifies anti‑US intervention narratives by exposing alleged CIA‑backed coups and recent university bombings, giving the Strokes a political platform and forcing platforms like X and YouTube to grapple with viral dissent; audiences and activists gain visibility while the band risks censorship.
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