The Strokes‘ Albert Hammond Jr has responded after fans of the iconic group were fooled into thinking that they were playing an intimate London show earlier this year.
In July, fans flocked to Camden’s Dingwalls after a social media post hinted that the group would be playing under the name ‘Venison’.
They were forced to deny the claims, before it later transpired that the event was a hoax from a disgruntled former employee.
Now, Hammond Jr has responded to the incident for the first time – and urged fans to do their research in future.
Speaking to NME, the guitarist said: “Well it didn’t confuse me because I’m in the band.
“I felt people were not really being as smart as they could because everyone has social media now and it was very easy to see that I was on tour and there wasn’t going to be a show.”
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He continued: “But y’know, I didn’t feel the need to respond. It felt more exciting for it to be its own story. I remember reading tweets and someone said ‘my daughter went and took the train’. I didn’t respond – if I was a teenager and I did that it would feel like a fun journey, a part of life.
“It wasn’t like I set it up. It was just funny and I see that a lot – there’s a lot of technology but no one wants to use it to find out where we are.”
He also described the motivation behind latest album ‘Francis Trouble‘, which was released earlier this year. The record sees him directly tackling the death of his stillborn twin brother.
“I thought it was a cool thing. I had a twin that I lost and later on it’s the genesis of a super hero story”, he explained.
“It’s like a comic book hero being born. You might come from another planet, so the fact that we existed together at one point – it allowed me to discover other parts of me. It seemed more exciting to put it in an alter-ego. It becomes a persona and it lives forever.”
Hammond Jr will return to the UK for a solo tour next week. Check out the dates below and buy tickets here.
Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, Monday September 10
Club Academy, Manchester, Tuesday September 11
SWG3, Glasgow, Wednesday September 12
Electric Ballroom, London, Friday September 13
Thekla, Bristol, Saturday September 14
Concorde 2, Brighton, Sunday September 16