interpol part 2: glasgow

Opening for Interpol was never going to be easy but they proved they weren’t just cowbell clamouring Rapture rugrats. Capable of lighting up the dance floor with bass-heavy disco pop delights and leaving the Academy entranced by the shimmering ethereal evanescence of ‘Paris’, their uber-cool sound is definitely gonna make waves. Donning a beanie hat and scarf the enigmatic Paul Banks was certainly dressed for the Scottish weather outdoors, proving you can pull off anything if you’re Interpol. Opening with the beautifully tender ‘Pioneer to the Falls’, the crowd was instantly transfixed by Banks’ perfect vocals. It’s almost unsettling how viscerally powerful Interpol’s music is. Kessler’s impeccably crisp guitar harmonics and Carlos D’s heavy flowing bass lines provide epic orchestration to Banks’ hauntingly melancholic tones. The band often get criticised for their existentially intense gigs that do nothing to get the crowd going, but this couldn’t be further from the truth tonight. From ‘Slow Hands’ to the ‘PDA’ encore, the front end of the Academy was so buoyant one tepid Londoner got sent packing with a burst nose…if he thought this was rowdy thank fuck he didn’t come up for Queens of the Stone Age last week. PART ONE: INTERPOL IN LONDON