The Strokes, arguably the principal architects of the current rock'n'roll revival, have swaggered back on the scene with a feverishly anticipated third album under their stick-thin arms. And the New Yorkers will be promoting First Impressions Of Earth with a sold-out gig in Blackpool on February 14.

Lead singer Julian Casablancas says the album is "fuller, bigger and louder" than their first two ferociously catchy but rather identikit albums Is This It and Room On Fire, which both reached number two in the UK charts and spawned hit singles like Last Nite, Hard To Explain and 12:51.

And though a lot has changed in the music scene in the two years they've been AWOL, December 2005's comeback single Juicebox achieved the band's highest ever chart position of number five, and most dates on their tour are already sold out, suggesting the appetite for The Strokes' brand of post-punk garage rock remains undimmed.

First Impressions Of The Earth is released on December 9, giving fans a full month to familiarise themselves with it before the Valentine's Day show at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool.

The Strokes play the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool on Tuesday, February 14 Tickets are sold out.

Paul Cockerton