Interpol have been very good to their hometown fans in New York during the early era of new album El Pintor. They played a pair of tiny shows at The Met’s Temple Of Dendur and Bowery, and did more than a handful of late night appearances (as well as Governors Ball this summer). All this came before their three-night sold out run at Terminal 5 which went down last month, right before Thanksgiving.
Hundred Waters opened up the first two nights of the Terminal 5 takeover. The Gainesville, Florida group were a surprising choice to open for Interpol, but considering how great Hundred Waters are, I didn’t question it. They released one of 2014’s finest records with The Moon Rang Like A Bell, a record that you should add to your collection immediately.
The only time I saw them live previously was during SXSW this year at a tiny space called Red 7. So I was very curious as to how they would fill out the much larger space that is Terminal 5. I’m happy to say that they did so marvelously, almost way too well. Tracks like “Cavity” and “Down From The Rafters” filled out the spaces elegantly, and the fierce electronic womp of “[Animal]” had the room shaking. Singer Nicole Miglis
was all smiles throughout the performance, I think even she was taken back by it all. Kudos to Interpol for bringing Hundred Waters along for the ride, as it proved that they are perfectly suited (and ready) for the big stages. If only the rest of the world would get on board with them.
Interpol don’t mess around live these days. The setlists seem to acknowledge that their newer material hasn’t gone over all that well with fans, playing almost all tracks from their highly regarded first two albums, Turn On the Bright Lights and Antics. Of course they played El Pintor material such as single “All The Rage Back Home” and the great “Everything Is Wrong,” but the lone tracks played from Our Love To Admire and Interpol were “Rest My Chemistry” and “Lights.”
Though when you get to hear a mix of “Evil,” “Not Even Jail,” “PDA,” “Narc,” and “Untitled,” you can’t really argue. They ran through these tracks with efficiency, delivering sharp performances, never looking back. Although the classic Interpol fan in me misses Carlos D, I can’t help but acknowledge how great Brad Truax and Brandon Curtis fit into the band. The trio of Paul Banks, Daniel Kessler and Sam Fogarino seem to be really happy playing shows with them by their side, and that’s great to see.
Interpol sent us home with not one, but two encores. I could have done without “Breaker 1” and traded it for maybe a “Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down” or “Lighthouse” (or god forbid “The New”), but when I look at the setlist that they played, I can’t complain.
Photos and setlist posted below.
Setlist:
1. Say Hello to the Angels
2. My Blue Supreme
3. Anywhere
4. Evil
5. Take You on a Cruise
6. My Desire
7. Narc
8. Everything Is Wrong
9. Lights
10. Breaker 1
11. Rest My Chemistry
12. PDA
13. Not Even Jail
14. Slow Hands
Encore:
15. All the Rage Back Home
16. NYC
17. Obstacle 1
Encore 2:
18. Untitled
Interpol:
Hundred Waters:
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