The Strokes wrapped up their huge UK and European tour earlier this week, and as they played their final show in Dublin without Nick Valensi, the guitarist was over in Paris making a surprise appearance with Duran Duran .

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The indie giants have been playing a number of critically acclaimed gigs across this side of the pond over the past couple of months, including two stops at The O2 in London . For all of the shows, however, they have not been joined by Valensi. The band shared back in May that the guitarist would be taking a “temporary break” from their 2026 world tour , without giving a reason.

“Nick will be taking a temporary break from the scheduled tour, but we look forward to his return,” they said at the time, and the following month frontman Julian Casablancas reassured fans that Valensi would “be back soon” , although no return date was announced.

The last time Valensi performed with his bandmates live was when they…