The Strokes took to social media to announce that guitarist Nick Valensi would be taking a break from their upcoming 2026 world tour this past Thursday. They wrote on their Instagram story, “Hey- Nick will be taking a temporary break from the scheduled tour, but we look forward to his return.” No specific reason was given for Valensi’s absence.
Along with announcing Valensi’s temporary break, the band also announced who would replace him in the same position. “Holding down the guitar in the meantime is our old friend Steve Schiltz, who many of you will remember from the early NY days. We’re lucky to have him. See you out there.” Schiltz was close to The Strokes in the early 2000s and founded the American indie band Longwave.
The band’s tour is still set to kick off with their set at the Bonnaroo music festival on June 2nd in Manchester, Tennessee. Their US dates will run from June to September, and their European dates start up in October. It’ll be the band’s first full tour on British shores in 20 years, per NME.
In other The Strokes news, their seventh studio album, Reality Awaits, is out on June 26th via Cult Records/RCA. They also recently released a new single, “Falling Out of Love,” on Wednesday.
Photo credit: Kalyn Oyer
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