Julian Casablancas, of US rock set The Strokes, will be a guest at the Oxford Union Debate Society tomorrow, Thursday 28 May.
The organisation is run by Oxford University students and has existed since 1823. The Debate Society has previously hosted an illustrious guestlist of world leaders in politics, popular culture and academia. Previous musical guests include Sir Elton John, Hozier, Michael Jackson, Shakira, Jonny Marr of The Smiths and many more.
The Debate Society seeks to bring a unique and wide-ranging array of guests for their members to listen to as well as challenge. On their official site they state, they have “been part of some of the biggest and most important discussions to shape world history.”
Casablancas’ appearance comes on the heels of The Stroke’s politically charged Coachella set. The band closed their set with a montage which took aim at the CIA and the United State’s government. Among the images shown was one of Martin Luther King Jr. accompanied by text which read “US Govt found guilty of his murder in civil trial.” Casablancas also made digs against Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, wearing a shirt with the Amazon logo, replaced with the word “crime.”
The Oxford Union Debate Society described The Strokes as “one of the most influential rock bands of the 21st century” and that Casablancas “helped redefine guitar music in the early 2000s.” It is clear Casablancas does not take his industry position for granted, he frequently uses the notoriety to make bold and unflinching statements about some of the world’s most powerful figures. In 2024 he spoke to NME about his frustrations with billionaires, calling them, “‘bad guy’ people.” He said their “main weapon” is “distraction.” He said “the fact we can’t unchain ourselves from this song or [stop being] hypnotised by this nonsense is the biggest challenge and biggest confusion I have.” This intrepidity is sure to be welcomed and perhaps challenged by the Debate Society’s members.
This appearance comes in anticipation of The Stroke’s new album, ‘Reality Awaits’ due to release June 26. It will be the band’s first release 2020. Shortly after announcing the album, the band announced the ‘Reality Awaits The World’ Tour, beginning this summer. The tour will stretch into this coming fall and visit the North America, Europe, Japan and the UK. This marks the The Strokes first full UK/IE Tour in 20 years. They will visit the O2 Arena in London, Manchester’s Co-op Arena, Dublin’s 3Arena and more this autumn. Tickets can be found here.
Casablancas will appear at the University of Oxford tomorrow, Thursday 28 May at 4:30 PM. Non-members are able to attend the event as guests of Union members for a fee of £12.50.
