By Alee Hoffman

October 2 was a special evening for New England hipsters. With Chuck Taylors, messed-up hair, and the signature tight T-shirt, rock enthusiasts throughout the region proclaimed their love for The Strokes, as they kicked off the first leg of their Wykyd Sceptre Tour.

The venue is a far cry from the first Boston show the boys played a little over a year ago at the small downtown club, Paradise. Then again, it’s been quite a year for five 20-somethings from the East Village, who were working everyday jobs and hoping to play shows at the local pub. Known as demigods by U.S. rock-hungry Brits – and hailed as The Coolest Band of the Year by Rolling Stone – the band was catapulted to stardom with last fall’s short but sweet “Is This It,” a crunchy blend reminiscent of 70’s and 80’s New York rock stylings that still managed to sound fresher than most current rock bands.

The success of the band seems to have opened doors for other garage-rock bands. The group has been serving as a swift kick to many of the bubble gum pop groups who seem to have lost their footing on the charts due to the success of bands like The Hives and The White Stripes.

There has, of course, been backlash from those who feel this is a mediocre band that is being hyped to the max.

In any case, it was a victorious gig for The Strokes as they greeted the crowd with a cheerful, “What’s Going On, Boston,” as they slammed into the rolling and butter-smooth “Soma.” The Strokes’ current single – the joyfully nostalgic “Someday” – proved to be a smash, based on crowd reaction. Yet it was the song that started it all – the slick “Last Nite” – that brought down the house. Whether or not it was due to Fleet’s excellent sound system, The Strokes seemed rejuvenated after a short break between touring. Every tune was sharp and full of punch, which kept the interest of the crowd. Those new to the band must have been mesmerized by Nickolai Fraiture’s unbelievable bass lines, and lead guitarist, Nick Valensi’s, incredible riffs as the band’s new songs were played. The new songs have a higher energy and confidence, and if this is the indication of where the new album is heading, we are in for a treat.

After much debate amongst themselves, the band even debuted a brand new song, “I Can’t Win.” Although it seemed to be a bit monotone at times, lead singer Julian Casablancas’ voice did diversify quite a bit.

Performance-wise, the guys were on a professional yet fun level. The show was increasingly physical from all five band members, more so than ever before. This was especially true of front man, Casablancas, who is becoming less the drunken, nervous and unwilling star, and more the showman (albeit still drunk) with every performance. Deciding to quit the Bob Pollard clone act is working in Casablancas’ favor, as he chatted up the crowd and explained the large wooden giraffe that was on the drum kit was a gift from the Harvard lampoon.

After a day at Harvard, the band was presented with the wooden animal, and as The Strokes’ frontman explained, “I talk, he listens…we’re good for each other.”

Back from a knee injury that made him sit down for several shows, Casablancas seemed to appreciate his legs a little more by jumping and dancing in between songs.

The most noteworthy moment of the show occurred among the fans for the last song of the night, the raucous “Take It Or Leave It.” It was as if someone had sent out a memo to the hordes of kids, begging them to leave their seats and make their way to the front of the stage. There were no apparent stops from venue security.

This show proved that one could take the kids and band out the little rock clubs, but one can’t take the little rock clubs out of them. As the crowd crunched up onto the barricades and each other with intensity and reckless abandon, the lords of garage-rock looked down on their followers with approval.