The last time I saw Interpol, they had just spent a few days trapped in their tour bus during a blizzard. The energy they exerted during that set was amazing – an exuberant celebration of their freedom from an unnerving experience. Where that show felt like they were playing for themselves, however, the set at The Met on Friday night felt like they were playing for us. A celebration of our freedom, as fleeting as it potentially may be, and a brief chance to feel normal, despite “normal” having mutated in to an entirely new amalgamation of ideas and practices. It kind of felt like 2018, but with masks.
We may not have the luxury of going back, but Interpol is not held to the same standards, and they have a vast catalogue of amazing post-punk revival songs to pull from. Not many bands can boast that they made one of the most important albums of a decade, but Interpol can, and they reminded us with set opener “Untitled” from Turn On The Bright Lights. The soaring guitars gave way to the funky bass line of “Evil”, which then gave way to the lumbering new track “Fables” as Paul Banks cried out over the audience “I have forsaken you all.” Not exactly the kind of jovial lyrics one would expect to restore vitality, but it certainly invigorated the audience. The atmosphere throughout was lively as they barreled through a healthy set of old and new material.
