I just came back from the Interpol gig, which was great (if a bit on the crowded side).
First up was a support band called the Tucker Bs (presumably of no relation to Tucker B and the MGs). They were from Perth, and played a sort of crunchy, angular guitar rock. They were OK, though I don't see why the promoters flew them all the way over from Perth when local outfit Love of Diagrams wanted the support slot.
Then, some time after 11:30, Interpol came on; they were five young men in neatly buttoned-up shirts (some with thin ties) and equally meticulous hairstyles, looking very New Wave, like some cross between Joy Division and Kraftwerk. That wasn't the only Joy Division influence; the singer's stage manner seemed studiedly Ian Curtislike, only not quite as manic; I suppose that goes with his vocal style. The bass player (the chap in the very sharp red tie) stole the show, punctuating his workmanlike bass playing with rock-star stage antics, slinging his instrument around and raising it into the air. (He didn't play it at ankle-level à la Peter Hook though; or at least I didn't see him doing so.)
Oh, and the songs. They played pretty much all of Turn On The Bright Lights and one other; I'm not sure if that was a new one or something off an earlier EP. The sound was really good, filling the packed venue with a wall of layered guitars and thunderous drums, which made up for the fact that people who didn't stake out the front of the stage had a hard time seeing what was going on. Anyway, if you ever get a chance to see Interpol, do so.
Posted by: kstop | | Fri Aug 8 17:29:11 2003
Gonna be in Disneyworld when they play Dublin, eau de humanite.