Interpol Live at MHOW

Interpol - Summer Well (buy)


The first time I heard Paul Banks' voice I didn't understand it; it didn't sound real. That's why it was so surprising that their live show didn't hugely impress. Interpol sounded great but lacked the showmanship that their lighting vacuously provided. Friday felt like a warm-up show without the spontaneity of a James Murphy in April. Not to call it a disappointment, but the performance didn't bring to life its beloved material.

It turned out to be a good thing that the ceiling of the Wellmont Theater collapsed, forcing the Interpol show in August to be cancelled. Coinciding with the kickoff of the most pretentious week in New York City was 24-hour notice of a surprise Interpol show at the newly-crowned coolest spot to play in New York.

The set was heavy on early albums, which was a good thing since the early reactions to their latest are less than positive. My only complaint about an otherwise great set selection was the exclusion of "Public Pervert." While they haven't been able to recreate singles as instantaneously popular as "Obstacle 1" and "Evil," I doubt that  they are only capable of writing junk. "Summer Well" appears to be the proof. Time will tell on 2010's Interpol.



Interpol live at Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
September 10, 2010
1. Success
2. Say Hello To The Angels
3. C'mere
4. Summer Well
5. Rest My Chemistry
6. Evil
7. Barricade
8. Lights
9. Narc
10. Take You On A Cruise
11. Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down
12. Try It On
13. Obstacle 1
14. Not Even Jail
Encore:
15. NYC
16. Slow Hands
17. PDA