Is This Strokes Bringing 25 Years of Indie Nostalgia to Bournemouth This June
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read

The early 2000s indie revival is alive and well, and it is heading straight for Bournemouth this summer.
The Strokes tribute act Is This Strokes are bringing a full-throttle celebration of one of indie rock’s most influential albums to Bear Cave on 6 June 2026, marking 25 years since the release of Is This It.
For fans of sharp guitar riffs, sweaty club nights and era-defining indie anthems, this could be one of Bournemouth’s most nostalgic gigs of the summer.
“We have all grown up with The Strokes and it has been a very nostalgic journey learning their earlier work.”
Originally formed between Portsmouth and Southampton two years ago, the band quickly built momentum through festivals and live shows across the South Coast before deciding to launch their own headline events during this landmark anniversary year.
Their name itself is a nod to Is This It, the record that helped redefine indie rock in the early 2000s and inspired an entire generation of guitar bands.
But Is This Strokes are not simply recreating one album or one era.
What has surprised the band most at recent gigs is the growing crossover between longtime fans and younger audiences discovering the later records too.
“What has blown us away at past gigs is the amount of the younger generation in the crowd calling out for songs from the newer albums,” the band explained.
Rather than focusing purely on nostalgia, the group have carefully built a live set spanning the full 25-year journey of The Strokes, blending the raw urgency of the early records with fan favourites from the band’s more recent material.
That balance is exactly what makes tribute nights like this work so well in grassroots venues.
And honestly, there is something fitting about hearing these songs in an intimate room rather than a huge arena.
Venues like Bear Cave continue to keep live music culture thriving across Dorset and the South Coast, giving audiences the chance to experience the atmosphere that made bands like The Strokes feel so important in the first place.
Explore more upcoming Dorset gigs in our Event Guide.
Bringing The Strokes’ Legacy Back to Grassroots Venues
The upcoming Bournemouth show promises a night packed with indie floor-fillers, singalong choruses and the kind of chaotic energy that defined an entire generation of live music fans.
From Last Nite to Reptilia, and deeper cuts spanning the band’s later years, Is This Strokes are aiming to create more than just a tribute set.
They want audiences to relive the soundtrack of nights out, festival summers and teenage obsessions that still resonate decades later.
“We have taken the time to cover the best over their 25-year time frame and look forward to seeing the crowd reminisce through the years.”
“We look forward to seeing the crowd reminisce through the years.”
With indie nostalgia continuing to surge across UK live music culture, tribute shows like this are becoming more than simple throwback nights.
They are celebrations of an era.
An atmosphere.
A feeling.
And judging by the response Is This Strokes have already been receiving across recent shows and festivals, there is still a huge appetite for it.
Loud guitars.
Sweaty venues.
Arms-around-your-mates choruses.
Exactly the kind of night Bournemouth’s live music scene thrives on.
📍 Bear Cave, Bournemouth
📅 6 June 2026
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