Dozens of fans leave The Strokes gig early after poor vocal quality
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Dozens of fans left a festival in London mid way through a set from US band The Strokes.
The voice of frontman Julian Casablancas was difficult to make out as he sang and spoke to the crowds at All Points East in Victoria Park late on Friday evening.
Casablancas, 45, was wearing sunglasses and a waistcoat at the opening of the show as he appeared to suffer with vocal issues.
Songs were at various points difficult to make out but Juicebox, Reptilia, Under Control, Red Light and Last Nite were heard as a light display cast geometric shapes and a radar pattern onto the stage.
The band could be heard playing instruments, but large groups of fans appeared to leave the festival early shortly after the set began and before The Strokes had finished.
Crowds at the festival also heard sets from artists including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Girl in Red and Angel Olsen at All Points East on Friday.
There were no sound issues reported with other bands during the rest of the day.
Some fans did enjoy Casablancas’s gravelly voice and were seen dancing, clapping and singing along to the band’s hits.
During the first half of the gig after playing their hit Last Nite, he pretended to walk off stage saying goodbye to fans before coming back and playing more songs.
Casablancas, also known for using his vocals on Daft Punk’s Instant Crush and The Lonely Island’s Boombox, also talked about the “British weather” having issues.
As temperatures in London were recorded at between 16C and 15C and Victoria Park had occasional showers, he said: “When did it become winter?”
According to the Met Office, the evening was mostly cloudy and had wind speeds of 22mph.
In 2019, fans also complained about The Strokes playing All Points East and claimed the band had sound issues.
Representatives for The Strokes have been contacted for comment.
