The Strokes wrapped up their huge UK and European tour earlier this week, and as they played their final show in Dublin without Nick Valensi, the guitarist was over in Paris making a surprise appearance with Duran Duran.
The indie giants have been playing a number of critically acclaimed gigs across this side of the pond over the past couple of months, including two stops at The O2 in London. For all of the shows, however, they have not been joined by Valensi. The band shared back in May that the guitarist would be taking a “temporary break” from their 2026 world tour, without giving a reason.
“Nick will be taking a temporary break from the scheduled tour, but we look forward to his return,” they said at the time, and the following month frontman Julian Casablancas reassured fans that Valensi would “be back soon”, although no return date was announced.
The last time Valensi performed with his bandmates live was when they played Coachella back in April. In the time since, it has been Longwave’s Steve Schlitz filling in on guitar duties.
It still isn’t clear why Valensi isn’t on the road with the rest of his bandmates, although in the time since Coachella he has made a surprise appearance with Jack White in LA, and as The Strokes wrapped up their tour in Dublin on Wednesday (October 28), Valensi was over in Paris making an on-stage appearance alongside Duran Duran.
The moment took place at the Accor Arena as the ‘80s pop icons headlined, and Valensi came out for their final song of the night, ‘Rio’, though he experienced some technical difficulties along the way.
While there isn’t a huge musical similarity between The Strokes and Duran Duran, there is a person connection between the latter and Valensi, as he is married to Amanda de Cadenet – the presenter and photographer who was previously married to Duran Duran’s bassist John Taylor.
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As for The Strokes, the gigs took place following a run of North American tour dates, and all came in support of seventh album ‘Reality Awaits’. The record arrived in July and received four stars from NME, which praised the band for sounding “more alive and locked in than they have in years”.
As for the first of their London shows, the band were given a glowing five star review from NME and hailed as “back on top form at their first UK gig in three years, injecting fun into old favourites and fresh material”.
“In the 25 years since their first UK show, The Strokes have had their ups and downs, and their moments when it felt like they’d rather be doing anything but playing together,” it read. “Right now, though, they’re firmly on a high – doing things their way and sounding as vital as they ever have.”