Interpol offers retro delights

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Oct. 6, 2003 | 8:23 a.m.

No, the Strokes weren't back in town Saturday night. This time, the buzz band du jour was Interpol, the latest big thing from the Big Apple.

The four-piece indie rock band, augmented by a touring keyboardist, took the stage at the Huntridge Theatre around 10:40 p.m. and played for about an hour. That was plenty of time for Interpol to prove its recent acclaim has been quite justified.

As if last year's full-length debut album, "Turn On the Bright Lights," left any doubt.

Interpol played 10 of the 11 tracks from that CD, and performed two songs -- "Length of Love" and "Narc" -- expected to appear on its follow-up, likely to be released sometime in 2004.

A crowd of around 650 cheered each selection enthusiastically, demonstrating that even in a town without a college rock radio station, Interpol's cerebral music can find an audience.

Though they have almost certainly benefited from the attention the Strokes' recent success has placed on New York's modern rock scene, Interpol's music bears little resemblance to the much-ballyhooed, neo-garage movement.

Instead, the quartet's sound hearkens back to the post-punk days of the early 1980s, with references to such bands as Joy Division, the Smiths and the Cure.

Fresh-faced frontman Paul Banks had his fans in a trance from the opening lyric to the hypnotic "Untitled," the leadoff cut from "Bright Lights." The British transplant easily cast his ethereal vocals throughout the roomy theater and into the lobby beyond.

Guitarist Paul Kessler, who, like Banks, immigrated from Britain as a child, provided a cascade of jangly notes from his position at stage right.

It was the musician on the opposite end of the stage, however, who commanded the crowd's attention for most of the night.

The spitting image of Crispin Glover's "Creepy Thin Man" character from the "Charlie's Angels" films, bassist Carlos D. was a flurry of exaggerated movements throughout the show.

He bobbed his head furiously and raised one arm high while powering Interpol through pounding versions of "Say Hello to the Angels," "PDA" and "Roland" from his spot in front of keyboard player Eric Altesleben.

Carlos D. also periodically wandered over near Samuel Fogarino's drum set, locking in with the drummer to anchor the cinematic "Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down" and "Leif Erikson."

Fogarino aside, the men of Interpol sported ties and collared shirts. Those visuals were aided by a set of rotating stage lights, part of the band's traveling road show.

The crowd, mainly consisting of 20-somethings, loved every minute, enthusiastically cheering Interpol back to the stage for a two-song encore.

During the finale, "Obstacle 1," one fan held his hand over his head, stabbing the air as Banks sang the bizarre lyric, "You'll go stabbing yourself in the neck."

Midway through the set, another concert-goer yelled out his own heartfelt message between songs: "Thanks for coming to Las Vegas."

Banks couldn't make out the specific words, answering, "I didn't hear what you said." But you got the feeling he recognized the sentiment.

Criticized at times for being emotionally detached from his audience, Interpol's leader seemed to appreciate the crowd's warm energy.

Banks thanked his fans often and even smiled a bit between numbers. Here's hoping he and his Interpol mates give Las Vegas the ultimate reward: a return trip sometime soon.