Live Review

Interpol – Sheffield Carling Academy

• 11th Jul 2008

Interpol have now reached a situation, or perhaps even a predicament much like The Strokes have; In that their three albums have each deteriorated with each chronological release. But it seems because they are Interpol and because they are The Strokes they get away with it. The majority of critics have only really brushed upon this. However they can only remain untouchable for so long and let’s be honest, neither ‘Our Love To Admire’ or ‘First Impressions Of Earth’ resemble the bands anywhere near their best. I make this comparison based not purely on this, but due to a similar career path they have both led in terms of existence and acclaim, and of course they are both credited as two of New York’s greatest bands to emerge within the last ten years.

So it seems there isn’t quite as much build up or excitement when waiting to watch them as I had previously anticipated or hoped, more a perplexity or uneasiness of what could occur. Now without wanting to make you all feel old, Interpol have now been lurking in the shadows behind the spotlight for nine years now, and it was six years since ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ first emerged. In a bizarre journey they have ultimately come full circle again, in that although the fan-base is now there, this seems a time more than ever in which they have to prove themselves.

Ladytron are supporting, but due to them being put on at an incredibly early time, I only catch the last few songs. The sound however is borderline terrible, and it was a struggle to hear them properly. But for the moments they could be heard, they sounded dark, tight and at times quite fierce; a later stage time and a sound check would have aided them hugely. (Apparently they missed sound check)

As Interpol take the stage they are greeted with a whirlwind of cheers. All sharply dressed, as ever. Paul Banks sporting a trilby, however the desired look somewhat fails, and he looks more Paul Smith (of Maximo Park, not the designer) than say, Tom Waits. They break straight into ’Pioneer To The Falls’ (The finest song from the latest offering, in my humble opinion) and immediately it feels like a triumph, there is a real tightness to the band but the lick from Daniel Kessler’s guitar just seems so loose, it is like it’s escaping and left floating around the venue like a lost soul. It’s the start that you want to an Interpol gig, you want the atmosphere, the ambience and the ambiguity. Although they should start every concert with ‘Untitled’ shouldn‘t they? The song itself embodies and encapsulates the very notion of an introduction. It’s a four minute journey that takes you to the start of another big journey, it’s like that exciting car ride to the airport before you take off to a great destination. But such is the affect of the song It’s also a song that you can envision being played over an opening scene in a movie: Someone is alone on a train at night, they sit with floods of tears streaming down their face, as the reflections from the city lights run across their drenched cheeks and they remain motionless staring nebulously out the window. A song that seamlessly travels without actually changing too much musically, while all the while packing an agonisingly emotive punch. The above statement is, however completely irrelevant as they didn’t play the song at all, I just feel the need to state it’s beauty as an opening track.

Followed by ‘Slow Hands’ which has the desired affect, and sets the crowd jumping up and down into a mass of sweaty hair. However, as powerful and anthemic as the song sounds, soon after it becomes apparent that Interpol are actually at their most interesting when they delve into some of the slower, more instrumental pieces. Perhaps this is due to hearing the song (‘Slow Hands‘) so many times, and it being a little overrated(in my opinion) in comparison to other ‘Bigger’ songs. But Interpol seem to flourish when they are playing sparsely with that underlying intricateness they possess so fiercely. As they play some of these aforementioned songs (‘Hands Away’ in particular)There is a dreamy atmospheric swirl of guitars and keyboards, which appears to be overlooked by some audience members, who are clearly here to hear the hits (On a few occasions I could hear mumbles of, “I hope Obstacle 1 is next“). It’s a shame because it’s what Interpol are fundamentally about, and to me the big songs are a second to what they do, granted they are a very good second, a second that numerous bands try to emulate and fail in the process; This adding furthermore testament to their talents. But still nevertheless, a second.

As the gig progresses we are treated to an even split from all three albums, and what soon becomes apparent is what I mentioned in the opening sentence. The strength, conviction and ultimate brilliance of the songs from ‘Turn on The Bright Lights’ is evident and they are played with blistering force, not a single song fails from that album when performed. The songs from ‘Antics’ are very similar but to a ever so slightly lesser degree. Then again it drops a little for the tracks from ‘Our Love To Admire’, which at times made the middle section of the gig a little hit and miss. They end strongly as they blast through ’C’mere’, ‘PDA’, and ‘Obstacle 1’ amongst others. ‘Narc’ is particularly strong, and reminds you what masterful songwriters they can be. The guitars sound crisp, clean and effortless. Paul Bank’s vocals wrap themselves around Carlos D’s low hung bass, and just about anything else they can find, to glorious effect.

As they return for an encore, any doubts or grievances I may have had, albeit however small are instantly forgotten. A Trio of ‘NYC’, ‘Evil’ and ‘Obstacle 2’ is the result of a well thought out set list. All of the above are delivered with the same precision and effortlessness that the rest of the set has been treated with. It is very apparent how at ease Interpol are with one another; nonchalant I think would be an understatement, and I’m not prepared to say cool based on Paul Bank’s Hat, and that the keyboard player (A new member? The fifth Beatle?) looks ten times more like Hitler than Carlos D ever did when he most looked like Hitler. But you get the picture. Seeing raw, brash and raucous gigs is always enthralling and invigorating when done well, but this was a reminder of the beauty of how well constructed, well thought out and well performed music can be.

So did Interpol prove themselves? Did they reinstate their importance? Did they make it apparent, that they still possess the relevance they once dealt exclusively in? They certainly did not. Because what they displayed was that they didn’t even need to prove themselves in the first place. And for now, I’m convinced.