Julian Casablancas and The Voidz, Coronet

In the early ‘00s, Julian Casablancas rose to prominence as the artfully dishevelled frontman of The Strokes, a band whose first album, Is This It (2001), launched a garage rock revival. They married melody and disaffection, drawing from a longstanding tradition of New York rock that stretches back to bands like The Velvet Underground and Television.
Since then, The Strokes have navigated a rather uneasy path, losing much of the energy and attitude that helped to define their early career. Fortunately, Casablancas’ solo efforts have been more rewarding. On his debut release, Phrazes For The Young (2009), he wove tales of dissipation and dereliction over an ‘80s synth and drum machine backdrop; it was well received, and rightly so.
Last year, Casablancas started a punkier side-project called The Voidz. Their debut album, Tyranny, was released in September 2014, and represents some of the singer’s most inaccessible and unusual work to date. The production is richer and the instrumentation more varied than on previous Casablancas releases. Whilst Strokes songs tend to be short and too-the-point, The Voidz are unafraid of pushing the ten-minute mark. This isn’t necessarily an immediately appealing album, but it holds plenty of rewards; the tense and cacophonous ‘Where No Eagles Fly’ is a particular highlight.
Julian Casablancas and The Voidz are due to play The Coronet Theatre on December 7. It promises to be one of the month’s most exciting gigs.