Interpol, First Avenue, Minneapolis MN

Heading in to Interpol’s eagerly anticipated concert at First Avenue, the talk all seems to be about how the recent departure of longtime bassist Carlos D would affect the band’s tight, brooding sound. But from the moment the first notes to the new song ‘Success’ ring out in the venerable nightclub, it becomes clear that his absence really won’t be noticed, for their new bassist, David Pajo (Slint, Tortoise, Zwan), fills in more than credibly, and when combined with the subtle keyboard work of Brandon Curtis (Secret Machines), the new members really expand the moody scope of Interpol’s dark sound.

Even though the band have a new, self-titled album due out in September, their set draws mainly from their older material, much to the delight of the receptive crowd. ‘Say Hello To The Angels,’ the second song played on this evening, is greeted with a deafening cheer that seems to catch frontman Paul Banks a bit by surprise. The band has quite a passionate following in Minneapolis, and after their last theater show seemed to find the band losing the intimacy that their music demands, it’s great to have them back playing in a packed club on a Saturday night in the city. There is little discourse from the band throughout the show, other than Banks’ occasional thank-you’s, with the majority of the connection forged with the audience coming solely through their poignant songs. ‘C’mere,’ ‘Leif Erikson’ and ‘Evil’ all ascend with a fresh urgency and intensity, and are early highlights on a night that’s filled with them.

Daniel Kessler, dressed to the nines as always, keeps the songs churning with his darkly hypnotic guitar work, bounding around the stage in time with Sam Fogarino’s relentless beat. It is gratifying to see Interpol’s three original members rediscover the somber beauty within their old songs, as well as seeing them gel with their new members. Two other new songs are played during the set, with both ‘Summer Well’ and current single ‘Lights’ getting a warm response. But the familiar older material garners the loudest ovations, as ‘Narc,’ ‘PDA,’ and main-set closer ‘Not Even Jail’ all absolutely slay live, reminding everyone in attendance why we fell in love with this band in the first place.

The band ease gracefully into their encore, with the slow simmer of ‘The Lighthouse’ leading things off tentatively but stirringly. It forms a great lead-in to the majestic ‘NYC,’ which is such a desperate, forlorn track, and really represents Interpol at their melancholic best. It’s my favorite song of the night. And after an evening as spirited as this one, the show could only truly end with ‘Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down,’ which finishes the set off passionately. It’s a performance that shows that Interpol still epitomizes the sound of New York’s dingy streets as well as its swanky nightclubs, and hopefully their new record will find the band rediscovering the drama and atmosphere that permeated their earlier work, and we will all be under the elegiac charm of Interpol once again.

Setlist:

Success
Say Hello To The Angels
C’mere
Leif Erikson
Summer Well
Rest My Chemistry
Evil
Narc
Hands Away
Lights
PDA
Take You On A Cruise
Not Even Jail
Encore:
The Lighthouse
NYC
Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down