I hadn’t given Julian Casablancas much thought since the Strokes went on hiatus in 2006 after the release of their third album, "First Impressions of Earth." Having been at the pinnacle of their career, it may have been in their best interest to end there and dismiss any ideas of regrouping.

However, in 2011, the Strokes managed to reassemble after a five-year long intermission with the release of their single “Undercover of Darkness”; this left some fans disappointed while others warbled in excitement for their forthcoming album "Angles." After a significant change in my musical inclinations, the single was far from expected and I naturally lost interest; be that as it may, I did see The Strokes at Coachella in 2011. The sentimentality and excitement from playing mostly old songs left me elated thereafter. However it was not enough to get me listening to "Angles" (2011) or "Comedown Machine" (2013).

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Back to the show-- it's a Thursday night at the Wiltern in Los Angeles and apparently Julian Casablancas has a new project, Julian Casablancas and the Voidz, or Julian Casablancas+The Voidz? Well, considering I haven’t really been in touch with the Strokes since 2011, I can assure you I haven’t heard a thing of The Voidz. So, I attend the show with zero expectations, as one should. Newcomer Ariel Pink opens the show; he shows his hometown crowd what he's got. As we wait for the curtains to draw (there are no real curtains), "Demolicion" by Los Saicos (a 60s Peruvian rock band) starts playing; this seems to force the crowd into the moment as we await Julian’s appearance.

And then there's Julian, and five other men. Julian is vocals, of course; there are two guitars, a bass, drums, and some keyboards.

The crowd heaves forward at the sight of Julian. Packed to the front like sardines, there's now about two feet of dead space between the back barricade and the crowd after their introduction (probably some broken ribs as well). And then all the cellphones fly into the air, blocking the view of course, but that’s okay, we all do it. I couldn’t tell you what song they opened with, but the crowd is having a blast, as was I. It was upbeat in energy and managed to get me swaying side to side.

Then, Julian jumps into the crowd! You might think, "What? So soon? It's only the first song!" But it's okay because security's in for it, everyone goes wild. He is back on the stage a minute later. Everyone seems to be having a great time. Julian's dancing; the keyboardist is pounding ferociously; the drummer's perspiring like none other; the bassist is bobbing his head as bassists do; the one guitarist’s modish attire is playing the show for him while the long-haired guitarist is rather unanimated, step up your game!

So everything is great, everything is fun, their rhythm is on point, the shows seems to be targeted to a more adult audience than the Strokes were, however it still carries the same buoyant energy. And then we get to the third song. The lights, which one shone steadily in hues of greens and yellows, are now an audacious red, bouncing on the stage. It seems as though they took on a new genre.

The sound is very brassy, and the whole aesthetic is a bit diabolical, or maybe I’m exaggerating. I find out later the song was, “M.utaually A.ssured D.estruction,” the title fitting. Moving on--the songs succeeding weren’t so nefarious. They covered a Strokes song, “Ize of the World.” I’d rather have heard it from The Strokes and not The Voidz, but that’s okay, it was fun. They also covered “Instant Crush” by Daft Punk.

Fast forward, they end on a high note and the crowd screams for more, "AHH WOOO AHHHH ONE MORE ONE MORE LALALA," then they come back and do yet another Strokes cover, “I’ll Try Anything Once”. The crowd tones down for this one, everyone is singing, and in that moment (having noticed everyone’s remarkable memorization of the lyrics) it seems to me all members of the audience are former Strokes fans who’ve followed Julian on his journey (well, that makes sense). Then they have a second encore and the show's over. Not too shabby. 

I would say if you’re a fan of The Strokes, why not go. I encourage it. Go ahead, check out Julian Casablancas and The Voidz.

Reach Staff Reporter Chelsea Kirk here.