The Strokes appeared to take aim at the U.S. government during Coachella weekend two, ending their set with a politically charged video montage.
The American rock band concluded their main stage performance on Saturday night with their 2016 song “Oblivius” as imagery played on the screens behind them that referenced alleged CIA-backed regime change overseas, the death of Martin Luther King Jr. and bombings in Gaza and Iran.
The video depicted a sequence of world leaders it suggested were overthrown by the CIA including Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in 1953, Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz in 1954, Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in 1961, Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973 and Bolivian President Juan José Torres in 1976.
The montage featured an image of King along with text that read, “US Govt found guilty of his murder in civil trial.”
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The statement appeared to refer to the 1999 civil case King v. Jowers, in which a jury found that King’s assassination was the result of a conspiracy that included government entities. A 2000 Department of Justice review found no credible evidence that U.S. government agencies were involved in King’s assassination and rejected claims of a broader conspiracy.
The video also displayed images depicting slavery and the Black Lives Matter protests along with foreign political figures, including Ecuadorian President Jaime Roldós and Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos, both of whom died in separate plane crashes in 1981. Text that followed the images claimed that the CIA was “suspected” of involvement in the crashes.
The montage concluded with footage of U.S. military strikes in Iran and Israeli attacks in Gaza. A clip of a demolished building was displayed as text appeared over it that read, “Over 30 universities destroyed in Iran.”
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The video then cut to a controlled demolition of a large building in Gaza, which was accompanied by the caption, “Last university standing in Gaza” before it showed a fighter jet and faded to black.
The band’s Coachella performance of “Oblivius”, which features the chorus, “What side are you standing on?” marked the first time that The Strokes have performed the song since 2016 and the second time it has ever been played in concert.
The Strokes’ performance, which took place on the main stage ahead of Justin Bieber’s headlining act, was attended by thousands of festivalgoers and viewed by a global livestream audience watching through Coachella’s official YouTube broadcast.
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After clips from the set went viral, it drew a mixed reaction from social media users with some praising The Strokes and expressing their views that the band would not be invited back to Coachella, while others slammed the performance’s political messaging.
The band’s Coachella weekend one performance on April 11 did not include “Oblivius” or the video montage. However, The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas made a few off-the-cuff political remarks onstage as he joked about a potential military draft.
“You guys excited about the draft? Oh, wait — not the NFL draft,” Casablancas said, according to Rolling Stone.
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“In six months, I think everyone who’s eligible is gonna have to register for the military,” he told the crowd. “I hope to lead one of the Coachella units. The sexiest unit in our proud military, I’m sure.”
There is currently no active military draft in the US. The U.S. last directed a military draft in 1972 during the Vietnam War. The active draft was ended six months later.
Male citizens between the ages of 18-25 are still required to register with the Selective Service System.
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Casablancas has previously voiced his political views in interviews and onstage, often criticizing U.S. foreign policy and corporate power.
In a since-deleted Instagram post shared in November 2024, Casablancas shared that he had decided not to vote in the U.S. presidential election, which was won by President Donald Trump after he defeated Democratic nominee former Vice President Kamala Harris.
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According to NME, Casablancas posted an image of “I protested” badge and referenced part of a conversation he said he had with his mother.
“Like I told her, I am thinking of my children. The 2 parties are a joke… a horrible lie. The military and oil companies and banks are who we are voting for – and the media is their propaganda/entertainment wing & with the way they cheated Bernie I see little point in choosing between these puppets… They want you to think it matters. That way nothing will change but it has to change.”
The Strokes, which is made up of Julian Casablancas, Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond Jr., Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti, publicly supported U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders during the 2020 Democratic primary.
The band is set to release “Reality Awaits,” their first album in six years on June 26, and they are embarking on a global tour that is scheduled to run through the summer and fall.
