Silhouetted by vibrant hues and shades of blue, the godfathers of indie-art rock Interpol gave Columbus a live tutorial on how to stay relevant in indie’s perpetually changing industry.
Hitting the road in support of their new self-titled LP, their first show back to Columbus in over three years featured many of the songs off their critically-acclaimed Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics albums – two albums that elevated Interpol from NYC art-house hip to, well, international art-house hip.
Interpol-ers came out in droves and put the LC at its capacity early. The crowd, spanning the entire age spectrum of really young to really old (I stood next to a rocking out dad and his ten-year-old son rocking out with an equal vigor), was docile, but by no means disinterested. Even with Interpol’s herky-jerky guitars blasting fans with reverb and heavy bass, the rapt audience did nothing more than listen with intense admiration.
As old rocker vets, Interpol was uninterested in ensuring a ruckus crowd as they paired their melancholy songs with an assortment of cobalt and sapphire lighting – putting the tone in pantone. The choice of colors matched the songs to perfection, acting like a subtle accent to each melody.
Lead singer Paul Banks donned his signature droney croon during the quintessential Interpol standards “PDA,” “Narc,” and “Evil.” Playing as a tight five-piece, Interpol intensified their soundscape with “Leif Erikson” and “Slow Hands.”
Sunday’s Interpol show at the LC was win-win for all parties involved. Interpol was elated ticket sales jumped the show from the Newport to the infinitely larger LC and, as a result, the crowd witnessed one of indie’s original innovators firing on all cylinders.
This review was written by Josh Fitzwater and brought to you by the Franklin University Plaza at the LC Pavilion. For more information about shows that Josh and the Franklin crew will be attending and for chances to win tickets to concerts all year long, visit us on Facebook. Photography was provided by Matt Ellis at Three-Songs Photography.
