played sold-out UK tour

In 2006, the band played eighteen sold-out shows during their UK tour. In February 2006, The Strokes won “Best International Band” at the NME Awards. In March, the band returned to the U.S. with their longest tour yet. The second single off First Impressions of Earth , “Heart in a Cage”, was released in March 2006. During the summer of 2006, The Strokes played several festival dates in Europe, including the Hultsfred Festival in Sweden, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, the Oxegen Festival in Ireland, the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim in Spain, the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, and headlined the Pentaport Rock Festival in South Korea. They then toured Australia and Mexico in late August and early September, followed by the second leg of the United States tour. While in the U.S., The Strokes opened for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers for five shows during their Highway Companion tour. The Strokes went on to complete another US tour. During this final tour, Casablancas stated to fans that the band would be taking an extensive break after it finished. An e-mail was sent out soon afterwards by Strokes manager Ryan Gentles , confirming that “much needed break”. A new band website went online in May 2007 along with the release of an alternate video to their single “You Only Live Once” directed by Warren Fu . The video also featured a brief interlude with “Ize of the World”, also from First Impressions of Earth . The song “You Talk Way Too Much” was used in a commercial for the Ford Sync. Aleksandra Cisneros became The Strokes’ assistant manager in late 2007.