Charli XCX Joins The Strokes at Outside Lands for “Take It Or Leave It”

At first glance, a Strokes cover of “Take It Or Leave It” might not seem like much, but with Charli xcx on stage and Julian Casablancas in self-deprecating form, the moment carried more weight than a simple guest slot. The night after her own headline set at Outside Lands, Charli returned to join the Strokes for their 2001 song, delivering a vocal performance that ranged from a whisper to a rasp. Casablancas, ever dry, introduced her with a nod to their competing album sales: “Congratulations, you have defeated us at the album sales. Your new queen of everything: Charli XCX!”

Both acts released records on July 24 — Charli’s Music, Fashion, Film and the Strokes’ Reality Awaits — and the onstage ribbing about commercial dominance felt less like rivalry than mutual recognition across eras. After the song, as Charli hugged Albert Hammond Jr., Casablancas added: “She won by a lot. She’s a giant pop star, in our defense.” The moment didn’t attempt to bridge gaps; it simply let two very different ideas of New York cool share a microphone.

The festival also saw Charli pop up in a video interlude during Djo’s set for “Charlie’s Garden,” where she addressed Joe Keery with playful disbelief: “I had no idea you’d written a song about me.” It was a reminder that, even in an industry of carefully planned crossovers, some gestures still land with genuine charm.