Los Angeles embraces a new era of Interpol

October 23, 2010, at the Greek Theatre

By Melissa Bobbitt
Published: October 27th, 2010 | 7:00am

Those suit-clad lads in Interpol have always exuded coolness. The New York rockers are the type that girls want to be with and boys want to be like. Whether it was Paul Banks dark, luscious baritone vocals or the angular thrust of Daniel Kessler’s guitar riffs, Interpol was the hip cat’s meow.

But what made and continues to make the band so vital is that the members don’t buy into their own mystique. In the same concert, Banks can make a statement like “pretense is not what restricts me” (“Take You on a Cruise”) and then confess, “It’s way too late to be this locked inside ourselves” (“C’mere”). And further considering that both appeared on Interpol’s 2004 album, Antics (Matador), this is a group that makes stunning art out of bipolarity.

One can see it in Kessler’s footwork. Even on slower tracks, such as “Memory Serves” off the new self-titled release, his extremities go nuts. His harried choreography lies somewhere between Chuck Berry’s duck walk and a hipster Riverdance. Such moves render an audience unable to resist the beat, even at such a hoity-toity outdoor venue as the Greek. By the time they rattled off current single “Barricade,” the crowd was in full storming mode.

At least thrice during the hour and a half show, fanboys rushed the stage. From this writer’s vantage point, it was unclear whether this was the same person going for a three-peat of stupidity, but each incursion led to harsher and harsher walloping by security guards. Though the third attempt saw Banks getting shoved and his mic stand seized, “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down” rang out perfectly. Truly, nothing could corrode the cool.

Coupled with the serene lighting and exquisite view of the moon, Interpol (now a five-piece live) is as good in concert as on record. The addition of Brandon Curtis (Secret Machines) on keyboards and backing vox and David Pajo (Slint) as replacement bassist (founding four-stringer Carlos Dengler departed the band earlier this year) rounded out the mountainous frequencies. And since the Greek is nestled up in a hillside community, Sam Fogarino’s militant drumming echoed out for what felt like miles.

It took two percussionists for openers White Rabbits to emulate Fogarino’s rumbling. The sextet did a strong mix of the familiar (the thundering radio hit “Percussion Gun”) and fresh material. Their songs became too insular at times, but multi-instrumentalist Matthew Clark provided a boost of musical caffeine with his tambourine and drum assault.

__

Interpol official site

Interpol MySpace page

Matador Records