Interpol remain one of my favorite bands, although after last night's performance that position is at risk. I doubt the lads will lose much sleep over that bombshell, but I offer it nonetheless.
I don't know why losing their bassist earlier this year (replacing him, and adding another newbie on keyboards) would dramatically change their sound, but they seemed much less angular, less sharp than the previous times I've seen them.
Maybe it was the venue. While The Fox is arguably the best looking venue on the west coast, having benefited from a gazillion dollar refurbishment a couple of years ago, there are some funny acoustic and visual characteristics to the place. First, it's huge, seemingly much bigger than The Fillmore or Warfield. I don't know if that in itself makes the place echo, but having seen Psychedelic Furs, Keane, and now Interpol at the place, each of them sounded indistinct, and echo-y. Last night we needed to move around, from front, to middle, to back, in order to get the best listening and viewing experience. Even then, I was only able to sing (shout) along because I already knew a lot of the words. First-time Interpol-ers like Gareth couldn't make out much of the vocals.
Visuals are a problem too, at least for the audience. All lighting at The Fox comes from behind or above the band - no spotlights from the auditorium itself. While this protects performers from having to wear Bono-like specs, it means the band is always in semi-darkness or silhouette.
Support from The White Rabbits was dreadful.
As my math (um, and Physics, Chemistry and Latin teachers often commented on my performance), Interpol "must do better".
1 comment:
I couldn't agree more with your review.
I think it was a combination of poor acoustics in the Fox with the lack of chemistry between the band.
I saw Interpol when they were at Bill Graham 3 years ago and was blown away.
Big disappointment.
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