07.16.08

It’s not for the cock, it’s for the foreplay.

Posted in Gigs, Princess at 1:46 pm by Princess

Interpol, Ladytron/Sheffield Carling Academy/9.07.2008

 

Ahead of their headline slots at T in The Park and Latitude Interpol played two so called ‘warm up’ gigs in Sheffield and Manchester. I say “so called” as these shows are often littered with dodgy houselights, questionable sound quality and the odd glitch; three things the New York band’s Sheffield show was definitely free of.

Interpol are well known for putting alot of thought into choosing support acts and Ladytron’s performance proved the night to be no exception. Despite there being a distinct lack of volume the Liverpool based four piece deliver an unusually spirited performance while almost psychedelic yellow lighting played home to their dancing silhouettes. The band stuck mostly to singles and better known tracks but on the whole the audience were fairly unresponsive towards the semi-legendary electronic pop band.

Despite the minimal reaction to Ladytron’s set it only took the back of the stage to be illuminated by a fuzzy white screen to ignite excitement and enthusiasm throughout the venue. With barely an acknowledgment thrown to their loving audience the (as always) suited and booted Paul Banks and co quickly slipped into ‘Pioneer To The Falls’ the delicately epic intro to their latest album ‘Our Love To Admire’. The crowd duly showed their appreciation but it wasn’t until ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ reared its perfectly formed head in the form of ‘PDA’ that both band and audience really started getting into the show. Lyrics were sung back to the band almost completely in unison, hands found their way into the air and the band fed off this putting in a more energetic and animated performance. 

From there on in it was clear that the ice had definitely been broken; cries for “Stella” and “Obstacle 2″ were regularly heard from the crowd and a few rare words and an even rarer smile came from Banks himself as he thanked the audience for their energy. Despite the unusually playful atmosphere between the band their always meticulously tight performance didn’t suffer and the sounds emanating from the stage at times became almost hypnotically epic. Particularly during ‘The Lighthouse’ when the always passionate guitarist, Daniel Kessler, was spotlighted and coursed through dramatic waves of guitar around which the song is based.  

Despite a stunning performance throughout the ample set it was the three-strong encore that capped the evening perfectly. Starting with the so-rarely-played-we-didn’t-even-hope-for-it ‘NYC’ the crowd erupted in what can almost be described as euphoria but drifted into silence almost as quickly in awe of a moment many Interpol fans will only ever get to imagine. With one question the audience were once again at an ecstatic peak, “How are things on the West Coast?” marked the start of the finely cut slice of dark indie-pop finery that is ‘The Heinrich Maneuver’ and some serious shape throwing could be found both sides of the barrier. Finally Paul failed to suppress a satisfied smile as the band launched into the most requested song of the evening ‘Obstacle 2′, a personal favourite, which slowed the pace and left the show ready to close. 

Despite what some may claim was a dream setlist there are still the ‘Stella…’ and ‘Specialist’ shaped holes to tantalise festival goers this weekend when Interpol provide the final notes to be played at Latitude festival. The high spirits of the band and the unusual set gave the Sheffield show a pressure free feeling from the band. They had nothing to promote and nothing to prove just a need to warm up with the songs they want to play in front of the people who want to hear them the most.  

Ladytron Myspace

Ladytron-Ghosts

Interpol-Myspace

Interpol-The Lighthouse

Interpol-NYC

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