Did you think you could come to RAN without running into more hype about the Strokes? Bzzzzt! Ha! Here's what I think of them: A bunch of New Wave throwbacks with a lead singer who can't sing but at least doesn't try to rap either, guitarists who wore out four copies of Marquee Moon (or perhaps had them smashed by unappreciative flatmates) while at art school, a hint of NYC 'tude, and for gorsakes, a band guru. Aieee!

And they're not so bad, actually. Not headsnappingly brilliant, mind, but not bad. And in fact they bring to mind your usual above-average local support band - A bit like the Sunnyboys, in fact. But at least they're not Limp Bizkit. If this is the week for pop stars to die in aircraft crashes, let's just hope Fred Durst decides to try ultralight flying this weekend.

So yeah, if you're into straight ahead rock'n'roll with a bit of wank and a whole lot of "ugh!", give it a burl. While they'll probably drive everyone nuts over the coming months, don't expect them to change the world.