By Christopher David<\/p>\n
For some bands, atmosphere is a game-changing element of their live set. When Interpol headlined night two of Riot Fest immediately following the release of their sixth (and arguably strongest) album Marauder<\/em> back in September, the dark lighting and moody tone of their set was somewhat lost on a crowd that was already a solid nine hours into a hot festival day. Which was part of what made their sold out show at Chicago Theater on Thursday such a stellar experience for both die-hards and casual fans alike: this is a band that thrives in a theater setting.<\/p>\n Vocalist\/guitarist Paul Banks, guitarist Daniel Kessler, drummer Sam Fogarino, touring bassist Brad Truax and keyboardist Brandon Curtis had the capacity crowd on their feet from start to finish with a light show that was at times spacey and warm, at times icy and mysterious. To their credit was the fact that, even though this is a tour in support of last year\u2019s Marauder<\/em>, the setlist touched on their entire discography (leaning perhaps most heavily on the new record and 2004\u2019s sophomore outing Antics<\/em>), which offered a strong sampling of everything the band is good at – shimmery guitars, subtle twists in melody that pick up where Joy Division and New Order meet, and rhythm heavy arrangements that really shone on new tracks like \u201cNumber 10\u201d and album opener \u201cIf You Really Love Nothing.\u201d Whereas early in the band\u2019s career, much of the musical interplay at the core of their sound came down to Fogarino and former bassist Carlos Dengler\u2019s drum and bass arrangements, guitarist Daniel Kessler\u2019s chiming, sidewinder guitar lines now take center stage on a more consistent level, opening up the band\u2019s sound a bit more.<\/p>\n Interpol has been in the game for nearly twenty years now, and their entry at a point when American rock music was finding new footing with the likes of The Strokes, The Kills, The Hives, and other retro-styled, garage-rock enthusiasts made the NY foursome outliers, in a sense; their suited appearance and droning guitars called to mind early new wave as well as elements of the New Romantic movement, and it would be fair to say that they didn\u2019t always a get a fair shake when it came to evaluating their place in the contemporary scene. Now they\u2019re six records in, and in this reviewer\u2019s eyes, the depth of their catalog was made truly apparent on Thursday when taking the setlist track for track; \u201cNYC,\u201d a contemplative love letter to the band\u2019s home, has aged beautifully, taking on an almost lullaby quality, and Banks\u2019 was nearly drowned out by the crowd\u2019s collective voice during \u201cEvil.\u201d The minimalist staging made up of white-lit bars on alternating red and blue backgrounds, accented by a trio of mirror balls and strobes that would either usher in one\u2019s best trip or worst one, depending, was a perfect accompaniment to Banks\u2019 lyrical dance between angular, romantic sentiments on \u201cSlow Hands\u201d and the thoughtful, passionate ebbs and flows of \u201cTake You On a Cruise,\u201d one of the band\u2019s finest hours. At the end of the night, it was oddly satisfying to get the sense that Interpol have eclipsed most of their contemporaries and have endured to become one of the most engaging voices in alternative rock.<\/p>\n Openers Sunflower Bean also hailed from NYC, and the core trio (guitarist\/vocalist Julia Cumming, guitarist Nick Kivlen, and drummer Jacob Faber) delivered a tight set of catchy, bright indie pop with occasional, noisy flourishes in support of 2018\u2019s Twentytwo in Blue. <\/em><\/p>\n