While all eyes have been on Sabrina Carpenter and Justin Bieber this Coachella, American rockers The Strokes put on an even bolder show.
Fans even suggested the Last Nite hitmakers risked being ‘banned’ from the Californian festival due to their highly political set.
Last week, frontman Julian Casablancas and his bandmates poked fun at the proposed military draft, which is linked to the ongoing Iran war.
However, for their final show, the group took things a step further with chilling visuals of world leaders whose deaths have been allegedly linked to the CIA.
As they played Oblivius, the screens behind the band lit up with Panama’s Military Leader Omar Torrijos, former President of Guatemala Jacobo Árbenz and former President of Ecuador Jaime Roldós Aguilera.
Martin Luther King Jr. was also featured with the statement, ‘US Govt found guilty of his murder in civil trial’.
The band also used the platform to highlight missile strikes in Gaza, as well as noting that ‘over 30 universities destroyed in Iran’.
However, the screen abruptly cut to black behind them, with many claiming the images were cut off by production.
The song ended with the group echoing the chorus, asking their gobsmacked crowd: ‘What side are you standing on?’.
Viewers from home praised the move, with Julie on X sharing: ‘i didn’t really know much about the strokes before this but i have a newfound respect for them this is fantastic.’
‘For those who missed it: this was the moment The Strokes ensured they’ll never set foot in Coachella again! I’m so proud of them,’ wrote Zaf, posting the clip.
LucioRamat praised: ‘The Strokes’ set closing with a mic drop at Coachella, calling out the political crimes of the United States, walking off without a goodbye, the crowd frozen.
‘It was all already said; “What side you standing on?” The greatest of all time.’
Others said it was ‘worth the pain’ for the ‘incredible spectacle’ but joked it wouldn’t have even been aired had it been on the BBC.
‘If the BBC were live-streaming this we’d be met with an abrupt blank screen and a notice that the strokes had to return to their home planet or something,’ joked Jodie C.
Kneecap’s politically charged set was famously omitted from the Glastonbury 2025 coverage by the public broadcaster, with one woman called Helen live-streaming the entire thing in protest.
The Strokes’ frontman Julian told the crowd: ‘I was tempted to come out tonight with a laptop and show you guys some of those Iran LEGO videos.
‘You guys see those? More facts than your local news. But they were taken down. YouTube or Government or whatever. Land of the free, am I right?’
The laptop dig was aimed at Justin Bieber, who is the highest-paid Coachella headliner ever, and had attracted criticism for bringing out a laptop and searching on YouTube to find his old music to sing along to.
While The Strokes aren’t famous for their political statements, Julian previously publicly endorsed Bernie Sanders for US President in 2020.
However, just four years later, the Someday singer said he refused to vote as he felt the two parties – Republican and Democrat – were a ‘joke’, so he was ‘protesting’.
At Coachella weekend one, Julian asked the crowd if they were ‘excited about the draft’ before adding ‘oh, wait, not the NFL one’.
‘In six months, I think everyone who’s eligible for the military has to register. You guys excited?’ he quipped.
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