INTERPOL // O2 ACADEMY, EDINBURGH
Godfathers of the Post-Punk revival still have more to give with new stellar performance
★★★★☆ (4/5)
INTERPOL; PERFORMING AT EDINBURGH’S O2 ACADEMY
PHOTOCREDIT: STUART STOTT
After first performing in the UK in 2001 at King Tuts, 22 years later Interpol are back with the same raw wow factor they had first starting out. Now performing at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh, they’ve left no question about whether they’ve still got the passion and drive to contribute stellar performances to a fast-moving music scene.
Opening with “Toni”, the bands drew the audience, that being a jam-packed venue, into a sense of growing excitement. It immediately set the tone for the night that would follow with a dynamite set-list with no room to stop and breath in-between. The set-list itself featured a great variety of hits spread across renowned albums like “Antics”, “Our Love to Admire” and “Turn on the Bright Lights”.
As expected, all the songs they played from “Turn on the Bright Lights”, struck a chord with the crowd as a wave of electricity erupted as fans screamed out and thrust their fists into the air. Particularly when they played “Obstacle 1”, which played second, with fantastic vocals from Paul Banks and bold performances from a band who all had something to give individually in terms of performance.
Playing such a uniquely excellent track so early was however, a very ambitious move from the band who, from that point onwards, were expected to maintain that momentum. They managed to keep the room alive with songs like their most popular track “Evil”, which competed with “Obstacle 1” for the title of show stopping song. As well as tracks like “Fables” and “PDA” which presented impressive guitar riffs and beautifully lighting that shrouded the venue in a red and white light, a clear homage to “Turn on the Bright Lights”.
We also got to witness the performance of their new single “Passenger”, a more experimental track for the band which proved they’ve still got more to give artistically. It’s a more depraved and vulnerable song that relies more on the vocals of Banks to illustrate a story that takes us away from the adrenaline pumping hits before it. It stands out in the sense that it marks something new for the band who clearly have no intention of taking it easy and are planning on introducing themselves to a new generation of fans.
Altogether, the smartly dressed ensemble, managed to effortlessly hit out with some tracks that speak for themselves as they controlled the room and set themselves apart as artists. However, the tracks in-between sometimes fell into obscurity as they had nothing to give individually, instead feeling like filler in an otherwise fantastic performance. Despite this, Interpol isn’t to be counted out in today's music scene and are a band to watch out for with potential new projects on the horizon.
