A few weeks ago I was invited to join a friend to see Interpol at the Ogden Theater here in Denver. The odd thing was he arrived late and made his way to the front of the packed theater, perhaps no more than 15 or 20 feet from me, but we failed to connect. Not a problem for he because he was accompanied by two very attractive women so he did not miss anything without me. I still had a blast!
First up was White Rabbits, who also performed at the Coachella Music Festival earlier in the year. That was the afternoon I was driving around the Mojave Desert looking for fossils. They are an American six-piece indie rock band based in Brooklyn, NY, having released their debut studio album,
Fort Nightly, in 2007. GO BROOKLYN! There have been a number of New York bands to come through here lately. Loved their music, and especially enjoyed the two drummers when they were pounding out a hypnotic beat.
I once again brought in the recorder and captured both shows. Very good quality. Download White Rabbits here:
The main act this evening, Interpol, took the stage promptly at 9:15. By then the place was packed and people were pushing their way forward. The tequila began to flow and I lost myself in the music, dancing to their magic beat, probably annoying the people around me. Everything about them reminded me of the Bunnymen: the stage lighting, their dark lyrics and tone. I was drinking it all in, the hour plus long performance going by quickly!
Wikipedia describes them as such:
Interpol is an indie rock band formed in 1997, associated with the New York City indie music scene, London sex scandals and was one of several groups that emerged out of the post-punk revival of the 2000s. The band's sound is generally a mix of bass throb and rhythmic, harmonized guitar, with a snare heavy mix, drawing comparisons to post-punk bands such as Joy Division and The Chameleons. Aside from the lyrics, their songwriting method includes all of the band members, rather than relying on any given chief songwriter.
Interpol's debut album Turn on the Bright Lights (2002) was critically acclaimed, making it to tenth position on the NME's list of top albums in 2002 as well as #1 on Pitchfork Media's Top 50 Albums of 2002. Subsequent records Antics (2004) and Our Love to Admire (2007) have confirmed the band's initial success and turned them into a commercial and critical success. The band released its fourth, self-titled album on September 7, 2010.
Interpol brings their New York post-punk to Denver on 10/25/10
On tour to support their new record, Interpol came through Denver to the Ogden Theatre on October 25, 2010. Anticipation was pretty high in the Ogden because Interpol hadn’t been back through the Mile High City in a while. With that, the crowd was more than ready to see them live again.
The Ogden Theatre has always had great sound, but the lights that they had planned out for the Interpol set only added to the energy that Interpol always brings to the stage. Playing a wide variety of their songs, including “Lights,” “Not Even Jail,” “Barricade,” “PDA,” “Evil,” “Pace is the Trick,” “C’Mere” and “Rest My Chemistry,” Interpol really captured the audience with their enormous sound. They pulled the crowd in so much that when there was a lull in the music everyone in the venue was quiet and waiting for what was going to happen next. As if their set wasn’t awesome enough, Interpol came out for their encore and played “The Lighthouse” followed by “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down” and closed with “Slow Hands.” Though their set was well rounded, the addition of “Obstacle 1” or “The Heinrich Maneuver” would have made it even better
"That’s where Interpol and the past remain at a parallel: the group doesn’t carbon copy old records, but its career arc keeps inadvertently mimicking those of forebears. Could you imagine the Ian McCulloch of “The Killing Moon” capable of concocting something so rapturously romantic back when he was cutting Crocodiles with shards of crackling paisley guitar?"
