Interpol @ Brixton Academy, London

Interpol @ Brixton Academy, London

Alejandro De Luna

Photo: Carolina Faruolo for DIY

‘But each night, I bury my love around you…’, Paul Banks´s baritone explodes in “Say hello to the angels”, an impeccable classic from their full-length debut and opening track at the legendary Brixton Academy where the smell of rancid beer spilled on the floor, the Trainspotting-like filthiness in bathrooms, the smoke of cannabis that moves into my airspace and the art- deco splashing the walls that sweat nothing but pure history. But before a great show full of classics, Circa Waves, Royal Blood and Temples were responsible for trying to make the clock ticking faster until 21:40 when the bright lights went out for Interpol´s comeback to the British capital preceding the delivery of its fifth full-length effort.

Interpol knows that their first two albums are their best and they make this statement visible in the current live set. And they know that despite of not having a round album in the last 10 years, live they are effective, magnificent and damn lethal. Gems like “Not even jail”, “Hands Away”, “C’mere”, “PDA”, “Slow hands”, “Take you on a cruise”, “Obstacle 1 ” or “NARC”; are just pure evidence of an untouchable legacy during the early years of their career.

The dose at Brixton Academy: five hymns from their first album (2002), six from the essential Antics (2004), only one song from Our Love To Admire (2007) and Interpol (2007) and three new tracks from their upcoming fifth achievement where “My desire” stands out with a maddening riff that accompanies Banks as he painfully sings ‘you are my desire,  I’m a frustrated man’.

There’s something special about the sound and aesthetics of Interpol which makes me think of quadratures, straight lines, accuracy and “mathematical” precision. Something similar to what happens when I listen to Kraftwerk where the aesthetics of the group, their show and the music come altogether to create a kind of numerical sonic exercise.

With Interpol, the ‘mathematical’ experience is collateral: The aesthetics of the group. The immutability in their expressions. The lights that do not vary between a funereal black and red. The minimalism of their sound that gets overwhelmed by the melancholy of noise followed by the rhythm section – the core of the “mathematical” exercise. Carlos Dengler´s departure is filled and executed with respect by Brad Truax on bass – touring with Interpol since 2010. Sam Fogarino´s accuracy on drums gets exalted by the gloomy atmosphere of space rock and krautrock obsessed Brandon Curtis (The Secret Machines) on keyboards. Banks´s wrenching guitar and dark baritone accompanied with Daniel Kessler´s six strings. and

Everything comes together to create an experience that makes me see music like a geometric figure where accuracy is essential. The result: a great setlist, denser textures, infallible precision and the unsurpassed implementation of the sonic “mathematical” exercise. Is this Interpol´s best live version or is just pure nostalgia clouding my ideas?

I’d forgotten how much I appreciate listening to Interpol. The last time I saw them was in 2010 in Mexico City and then I lost track of them. Their albums got dusted and their music abandoned.

That will never happen again.

Setlist

1. Say Hello to the Angels
2. Evil
3. C’mere
4. My Desire (NEW)
5. The Heinrich Maneuver
6. Not Even Jail
7. Anywhere (NEW)
8. Narc
9. Take You on a Cruise
10. All The Rage Back Home (NEW)
11. Hands Away
12. PDA
13. Slow Hands

Encore

14. Lights
15. Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down
16. Obstacle 1

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