The biggest travesty of the year so far has been revealed: fans of Interpol – dark rock kings of the indie scene – have been subjected to the filth of Festival Hall, which effectively destroyed any mood the New York quartet tried to create in their live show. Whilst Melbourne hosts some venues perfectly suited to the alternative darkness and gloom on Interpol’s sound, the West Melbourne hall is the only house that’d hold the correct weight of punters, considering the show did sell out, but not at any break neck speed.

Support act Youth Group seemed oddly placed, but then again there are few local acts that would seem right opening for Interpol. There set consisted mostly of the same old pop/folk they’re known for, though that extremely mainstream cover of theirs, ‘Forever Young’ was thankfully no where to be heard. Uninspired by the support act and with little care for the growth in sound of the band’s new single, the crowd remained still. Even later when the headliners thanked Youth Group there was an awkward lull.

The low introductory drone and surge from the smoke machines began considerably early (after all it was Monday night) and Interpol shadowed onto stage and stood before their 5000 fans. ‘Pioneer to the Falls’ – the epic opener from the band’s latest effort Our Love To Admire – was a fitting start to their set as the low vocals of Paul Banks were strong enough to impress the harshest critic. What was noticeable about Banks’ approach to his live show was that he wasn’t at all interested in stage antics and instead he remained still to ensure his vocals were spot on. Even during the fast rock of ‘Obstacle 1’ that arrived with a mighty applause, Banks hardly moved about to give the audience more; which seemed a little disappointing considering the adoration he was receiving.

What was lacked in stage presence by Banks was made up for by lead guitarist Daniel Kessler who seemingly contained the energy off all the members combined. Kessler was manic, running fast from each side of the stage to the next, thrusting his guitar around and genuinely entertaining the crowd. In the opposite fashion, Carlos D on bass stood coolly right of stage, shoulders stiff and head high as his bass lines rolled out effortlessly. The blonde streak through his hair made him somewhat of a Sweeny Todd look-alike. A thin smile occasionally stretched over Carlos D’s face, though for the most part he was as unanimated as Banks, and this mixed with his swanky attire and the endless amounts of smoked cigarettes gave him a rather arrogant image. Than again, that image is what he’s loved for. What’s more is that Interpol’s lack of energy meant that there was little else filling Festival Hall, which has been brought to life in the past when artists perform instead of just playing their instruments.

The main set consisted of a combination of mostly OLTA and Antics tracks and blended the fast tracks such as ‘Mammoth’ and ‘Slow Hands’ with slower ones, such as the eerie and unexpected ‘The Lighthouse’, in which Kessler played solo whilst Banks’ gloom let out low and much longer notes. Whilst ‘Evil’ received the loudest cheer, it wasn’t the climax, as ‘Heinrich Manoeuvre’ and ‘Not Even Jail’ followed to finish the set in spectacular sounding fashion. Apart from the tiniest of movement from Banks and Carlos D, Kessler was still on his own in the entertainment stakes during the awesome concluding trio of tracks.

Whilst Interpol’s outstanding debut album Turn On The Bright Lights had been barely touched during the main set, the encore was all about playing for the band’s oldest fans. The droning ‘NYC’ followed by ‘Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down’ were met with as much – if not more – appreciation than the more popular numbers. The four jammed for a little while, including a rather dull drum solo from Sam Fogarino, before picking up the pace for ‘PDA’ which had Kessler multitasking between his stage antics and backing vocals, solidifying himself as the life source of the band. By the end the verdict for Interpol was simple: they sounded incredible – especially Banks’ vocals which were gloomily spot on and Carlos D’s way too natural ability on bass – but had very little in the way of entertainment stakes. The group seem much better suited to smaller venues and the “emptiness” of a venue like Festival Hall really kills the mood. Smaller venues are not likely to happen though, unfortunately.

Photos courtesy of Anthony Smith