Synopsis

The Strokes perform "Last Nite" on a brightly lit stage styled like a low-budget television music set. The camera moves between close-ups of Julian Casablancas and the band members as they play with restless, unpolished energy. Colored lights, visible microphones, amplifiers, and a large backdrop emphasize the performance rather than a narrative. The deliberately straightforward presentation gives the video the feel of a live broadcast and captures the band's early garage-rock image without adding characters, locations, or a scripted storyline.

Factoids & Trivia

• The Strokes were initially reluctant to make a music video for "Last Nite." They agreed on the condition that the performance would be genuinely live rather than a lip-synced recreation.

• The recording heard in the video is a separate live studio performance, not simply the album version played over the filmed footage. This gives the track a looser, more volatile sound.

• The video was shot in New York in September 2001, shortly before the single's October 23, 2001 release in the United States.

• Its stripped-down format stood apart from the elaborate, effects-heavy videos common on music television at the time. The emphasis on the band's playing helped establish their image as a direct, retro-minded rock group.

• The video became one of the main ways international audiences first encountered The Strokes during the breakthrough period surrounding their debut album, "Is This It."