Interpol
Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
09.16.14
There was a buzz outside the Paramount Tuesday evening, with scene hit men Interpol preparing for a much-anticipated performance in the Emerald City. Creaky doors opened to an audience of neatly trimmed thirty-something guys, saying goodbye to summer as they donned loafers, vests, and serious, intentional mustaches. Well-behaved ladies dressed in flowing materials clung to their arms. Did we have tickets to a 1920’s opera? I’m the kid in the corner with jeans on. You can’t say I didn’t try to set the scene for you.
Interpol went on promptly at 9:30 to a backdrop of the El Pintor hands, opening their set with “My Blue Supreme.” A dozen square lights made an invisible grid of the stage, as random mountainscapes and eyeballs floated past the screen over the next hour. Singer Paul Banks and co. looked comfortable in the moody dark, shape-shifting to their music and feeding off the energy from the crowd. Despite losing original bassist Carlos Dengler, Banks covers the position well, filling in Dengler’s past duties with the help of touring keyboardist Brandon Curtis. Regardless of how they’ve shuffled the pieces of their mind–blowing musical puzzle, let me get this one point straight: their new album kicks ass. Heavy expectations seem obligatory for a band that represents New York City’s indie scene, but Interpol has yet to go stale, while their roots grow deeper yet a dozen years in.
Rey Pila, a four piece from Mexico City, took the sole opening slot this evening. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2010, was produced by the same cats that have worked on pieces from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and TV on the Radio. What had originally begun as a solo project, Rey Pila continues to build a solid fan base and hopefully some material for a sophomore album. I heard that some folks came to the Paramount solely for Rey Pila. Either way, the crowd exuded great fervor at the chance to catch them. Check them out and see what all the fuss is about.
Interpol Set List:
My Blue Supreme
Evil
C’Mere
Hands Away
Desire
Angels
Breaker 1
Lighthouse
Anywhere
Same Town
Narc
Jail
Slow Hands
(Encore):
Lights
All The Rage Back Home
PDA
Review by T. Monte
Photos by Sunny Martini
Interpol
Rey Pila
