The Strokes played their first gig in four years last night (June 9th) to a small crowd of less than 500 at London’s Dingwalls.

Suspicions of a secret show arose when The Strokes tweeted “Good Morning London” on June 5th and posted pictures of a logo for a band called “Venison,” written in the band’s usual typeface.

The venue Dingwalls posted the same logo on their website, noting that the band was previously called “The Shitty Beatles.” Tickets sold out within seconds and caused the venue’s website to crash—even Coldplay’s Chris Martin was in attendance. Desperate fans paid up to £500 for tickets at the door.

The gig served as a warm up before the group’s headlining slots at the Isle of Wright Festival on Saturday, RockNess in Scotland on Sunday, and later Australia’s Splendour in The Grass.

The Strokes played 18 songs from their previous three studio albums. They opened the set with New York City Cops, which worked the crowd into a frenzy that lasted the entire evening. After playing fan favourite Last Nite, the crowd started chanting the fake name “Venison” to which lead singer Julian Casablancas responded by making an antlers sign with his hands.

Though a new album is in the works, tentatively scheduled for release in early 2011, the band played no new material. Still, reviews for the gig were overwhelmingly positive, affirming that The Strokes have indeed made a comeback.

The Strokes return setlist:
New York City Cops
The Modern Age
Hard To Explain
Reptilia
What Ever Happened?
You Only Live Once
Soma
Vision Of Division
I Can’t Win
Is This It
Someday
Red Light
Last Nite
Under Control
12:51
Juicebox
Heart In A Cage
Take It Or Leave It

The Strokes will return to Australia to play shows in Sydney and Melbourne before headlining Splendour in The Grass and On The Bright Side festivals.