# The Strokes bring out Charli XCX for surprise Outside Lands duet

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/see-charli-xcx-join-the-strokes-for-take-it-or-leave-it-at-outside-lands/
- Published: 2026-08-09T16:32:11+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-09T22:47:26+00:00
- Original publisher: Rolling Stone
- Original article: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/charli-xcx-the-strokes-take-it-or-leave-it-outside-lands-1235605980/
- Topics: Entertainment, Music

## Key points

- Charli XCX joined the Strokes for a surprise Outside Lands duet
- They performed "Take It or Leave It" after both topped charts in July
- Casablancas jokingly crowned her victor of their album sales battle

## Summary

The Strokes brought out surprise guest Charli XCX during their headline set at San Francisco's Outside Lands festival on Saturday, with the pair performing "Take It or Leave It" together, the closing track from the Strokes' 2001 album Is This It. The cameo capped a weekend in which both acts appeared at the festival, following Charli's own headline slot there the previous night, and played on a good-natured rivalry between the two artists.

Frontman Julian Casablancas introduced Charli XCX by noting that both acts had released new albums on the same day in July—the Strokes' Reality Awaits and Charli's Music, Fashion, Film—joking that she had "defeated" the band in sales and dubbing her "the new queen of everything". It was their second collaboration, following Casablancas's feature on a reworked version of "Mean Girls" for Charli's remix album Brat and It's Completely Different but Also Still Brat. Both acts have further dates ahead, with Charli next headlining the UK's Reading and Leeds festivals and the Strokes heading to Japan for Summer Sonic in Tokyo and Osaka.

## Coverage

- [Rolling Stone: The Strokes bring out Charli XCX for surprise Outside Lands duet](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/charli-xcx-the-strokes-take-it-or-leave-it-outside-lands-1235605980/)
- [Stereogum: Charli XCX Joins The Strokes At Outside Lands](https://stereogum.com/2507735/charli-xcx-joins-the-strokes-at-outside-lands/news/)
- [Consequence: The Strokes Bring Out Charli xcx at Outside Lands for “Take It or Leave It”: Watch](https://consequence.net/2026/08/the-strokes-with-charli-xcx-outside-lands/)

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.