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Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
22nd November 2010
Interpol, Surfer Blood, The Blue Angel Lounge

Currently, INTERPOL are touring their newest release, the self-titled fourth album that marked the departure of long-time band member Carlos Dengler. In the course of supporting the album they also stopped in Dortmund and that’s where this little story went down.


The Blue Angel Lounge

The band was founded in 2006 and their self-titled release already was released two years, later 500 copies of which were self released as vinyl. Also in 2008, their track ‘A God’ landed on the compilation ‘Open Your Mind’. One year later they would be playing their first show in Berlin which would lead to Anton Newcombe offering help with the production of the sophomore, titled ‘Narcotic’ and released at the end of October. http://www.myspace.com/theblueangellounge



Music & Performance
Actually, we didn’t expect there to be a second support act, so we needed to hurry in order not to miss the start of German THE BLUE ANGEL LOUNGE, bringing to the table an ethereal blend of effected guitars teetering with indie embellishments and post-punk. Reverb-drenched vocals echoed through oppressing soundscapes that were almost a little too calm for my tastes. The most powerful element about it in the end was their drum section, breaking the lasting “silence”. Such a type of music naturally secludes any type of vivid dancing, but acknowledging, at times euphoric applause followed after nearly every song. Seemed like they brought some fans already, or just won over a few. As for me, I was missing something; couldn’t point my finger on what exactly but the famous spark failed to bridge the distance to me.

Setlist
01. New Gandhi
02. Ashes Round The Skull
03. Desert Shore
04. Caught Crow
05. The God
06. Delete My Ideals
07. Corona

Rating
Music: 6
Performance: 6
Sound: 7
Light: 6
Total: 6.2 / 10




Surfer Blood

Florida-based SURFER BLOOD appeared on the music scenery in 2009 with the release of their debut single ‘Swim’ which gained a lot of critical acclaim; equally as much as the debut album ‘Astro Coast’ would receive when getting released to the public in January. SURFER BLOOD is John Paul Pitts, Tyler Schwarz, Kevin Williams, Thomas Fekete and Marcos Marchesani. http://www.myspace.com/surferblood



Music & Performance
The second support, coming with SURFER BLOOD could turn the steering wheel around a bit in regards of a more dynamic feel to the music, although their performance was stiff in the beginning. Even so, they hit me a lot better than the first support act. Something that struck attention was the key/second drum man. While the other band members actually looked like your polite student from next door, he made a counterpart with his rather freaky, Rasta look. So let’s get to talk a bit about the music, shall we? The track ‘Take it Easy’ for instance incorporated a kind of exhilarating feeling and a feverish double drum section. Also it felt like some Caribbean flavour had been mixed in as well. Anyway, it was made to dance and other people must’ve thought the same. The other side of the medal came up with a song called ‘Harmonix’ bringing up melancholic tones which suggests a wide range. Their set concluded with ‘Swim’ and a following applause. Good band!

Rating
Music: 7
Performance: 7
Sound: 7
Light: 7
Total: 7 / 10




Interpol

INTERPOL formed in 1997 in New York City. After releasing several EPs in the following years they could ink a label deal in 2002. The band’s first release for the label was a self-titled EP, issued in 2002, followed by the full-length debut ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ the same year. While that particular album was kind of a slow-builder, the follow-up ‘Antics’, released in 2004, made a comparative kick start with getting the band to play in front of larger crowds and at bigger venues than before and was certified gold in the UK. The third album ‘Our Love To Admire’ followed up in 2007, seeing the band including keyboards into the arrangements right from the start. Prior to the current album’s release the news surfaced this would be the last one with bass/keyboard player Carlos Dengler in the line-up. The self-titled release came out then in September 2010. INTERPOL live is Paul Banks (vocals, guitar), Daniel Kessler (guitar, vocals), Sam Fogarino (drums, percussion), David Pajo (bass guitar) and Brandon Curtis (keyboards, vocals). http://www.interpolnyc.com/ / http://www.myspace.com/interpol



Music & Performance
We would have to wait a while until the lights turned blue, the fog became thicker and an instrumental collage accompanied the band’s entrance march. Everyone got into position to open the show with the new album’s opener ‘Success’ followed by the racing ‘Say Hello To The Angels’. Already at that early point I wondered when there would be actually something happening, because regardless of the reigning euphoria that broke after every single song, or short after their start, the performance itself was unspectacular. Paul Banks hardly did do anything else than shaking to the rhythms a bit but never ever moved away from the microphone, while Daniel Kessler on the other hand must be named as the person who did it most of the time. Nevertheless, I was expecting more from a band like INTERPOL. Perhaps I had the wrong expectations; maybe it’s always like that but I was told they actually could do better, so I wondered why they didn’t do it here. Musically, there can be made no complaints whatsoever. They played the songs absolutely flawless and the selection of songs included anything from the first to the current record, featuring some of my favourites off the ‘Antics’ album with ‘Take You On A Cruise’ or ‘Not Even Jail’.



So you could say there was something to please everyone, and the majority of people were completely pleased and enjoyed themselves lively. Then again, those were exactly the versions you’d get on CD; no additional sections or anything which I found a real pity. So of what kind could the conclusion to this show be? Of a mixed one! On one hand there’s the undeniable quality of the songs played that evening; on the other hand the disappointment that they didn’t make more out of it. For the next time I hope for a better live form.

Setlist
01. Success
02. Say Hello To The Angels
03. Narc
04. Take You On A Cruise
05. Summer Well
06. Rest My Chemistry
07. Slow Hands
08. C'mere
09. Hands Away
10. Barricade
11. The New
12. Lights
13. PDA
14. Memory Serves
15. Not Even Jail
---
16. Untitled
17. Length of Love
18. Evil

Rating
Music: 8
Performance: 5
Sound: 8
Light: 6
Total: 6.8 / 10



All pictures by Daniela Vorndran (http://www.vorndranphotography.com/ / http://www.black-cat-net.de/ / www.myspace.com/vorndranphotography)
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