Miami gets masqueraded in NYC aesthetics:
INTERPOL
with School of Seven Bells
The Fillmore
Miami Beach, FL
April 29, 2011
Review by Mike Hernandez
Photos by Juan Hernandez
Miss an Interpol show once, shame on you. Miss an Interpol show twice, and well, you’re just lame. Having an eight-month performance window in Miami feels a little awkward and sudden, like immediately texting “hi :)” to the girl you like after you somehow got her number, but Interpol is way more sexy. Their melancholic allure has carried them throughout a decades-near timespan (the genre-redefining Turn on the Bright Lights was released in 2002), and in support of their latest self-titled LP, the boys in black showed that dreary-drenched music can equate to a blissful and entertaining concert.
Daniel Kessler - Interpol
The noticeable change that every Interpol fan and critic makes a point to note is the departure of bassist Carlos Dengler, the rhythmic cog in the Interpol machine. Interpol enthusiasts pinpoint Dengler's ingenuity, musical prowess, and showmanship on stage as one of the reasons for Interpol's meteoric rise. By showman, I mean just standing on stage with minimal movement but looking way too bad ass for his own good (he wears gun holsters for fun, freaking gun holsters!). Some would say Nazi-chic, but I think he got his attire from the costume designer of the “Blade” films. If anything, Dengler represented the image and feel of Interpol more so than front man Paul Banks. Even after his departure in 2010 following the recording Interpol, the rest of the dapper men continued with legendary Slint guitarist David Pajo replacing the aforementioned Dengler.
Brad Truax - Interpol
Pajo filled the void that had been such an integral part of their music…and then he left. Now, Brad Truax (Gang Gang Dance, Animal Collective) is next in line to enter the bass gauntlet and take over touring duties. I’m sure he's been getting many stink eyes from time to time; replacing not one but two outstanding musicians is no easy feat.
Playing with Interpol on April 29 at The Fillmore, Traux sounded clear and smooth, thumping bass lines against the audience's chests. Hearing that bass line from “Evil” felt as if Dengler had leaned over behind Truax, grasped his hands and gently said “here, let me help.” With the bass in good hands the rest of the originals led the way.
Their music gradually reaches points where it completely captivates you, and this feeling is strongly represented in their live performance.
Interpol
Interpol has this thematic quality to them, a sense of pacing through their music that sets them apart from other bands. Their music gradually reaches points where it completely captivates you, and this feeling is strongly represented in their live performance.
Starting off with a new track, “Success” pulsates with its kick drum, setting the crowd in an upright swaying motion, but the crowd at The Fillmore was anything but just swayers. Whenever a track from Turn on the Bright Lights or Antics played, the crowd shrieked in unison. One heavier-set gentleman, surely inebriated, screamed “when the loving that you wasted/comes raining from a hapless cloud,” proving Interpol engages a crowd emotionally and energetically.
Paul Banks
Ominous blue lights highlighted the band during the tender “The New,” flashing red lights shone for the appropriately titled song “Lights,” during the closer “Slow Hands,” green splashes illuminated a frenetic crowd. Old favorites, “Say Hello to the Angels” and “Narc” sounded fresh; Interpol brings a dynamic energy to their show that replicates the intimacy of their albums.
When lead singer Paul Banks genuinely professed to the crowd “You're a beautiful audience,” near the end of their set, you couldn’t help but feel even more connected to an already bare and honest group of well-dressed men.
Even back when I saw their first show in South Florida in ’03 their formula hasn’t changed, minus the whole internationally-revered-critically-acclaimed part. They might be in a new phase in terms of lyrics and dealing with the disillusionment of an evolving music scene, but just like eight years ago, the musicianship hasn’t fell off, and hearing them live at The Fillmore took me back to that time.
Interpol will never relinquish their NYC roots even though Banks claims he’s “sick of spending these lonely nights” in the city he can’t give up on. If the same goes for their live shows, Miami might for once gladly welcome a New York presence (sports fans excluded). Interpol knows our pavements are a mess, but with every show they play here, they become more impressed, and so do their fans.
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Daniel Kessler
Interpol
School of Seven Bells