Interpol at The Slowdown, Feb. 9, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

As I was leaving last night’s sold-out Interpol show at The Slowdown I ran into someone who also was at the 2003 Interpol show at Sokol Underground. His comment: “You’ve seen one Interpol show, you’ve seen them all.” Last night, it seemed, was proof of that.

The band didn’t sound or look much different than when I saw them all those years ago, though that first show had an excitement factor that can’t be replicated. There were obvious differences, of course. I had a much better vantage point to see the band this time around, standing just below stage left (I was way in the back of the room at that Sokol show). And then there were the lights. Interpol uses a battery of powerful, dazzling LED panels along with synchronized spots (mounted at ground level) to give them a haunting man-who-fell-to-earth sort of vibe. Unfortunately, where I stood the LED’s and floods burned right into my retinas, blinding me through most of the show — I wound up pulling a Corey Hart and slapped on my Ray-bans. Those lights were the most exciting part of the band’s stage presence, as the well-dressed lads kind of stood there and played in the glare and fog, though guitarist Daniel Kessler (looking like a young Noah Wyle) did break into some edgy, kicky dance moves on occasion.

Add their flat stage presence (and no between-song patter) to Interpol’s interesting though one-dimensional songwriting and you’ve got a recipe for a pretty static show once you get past the first three songs. The good news is that their new material stands up well next to the old material. The bad news is that it all sounds the same. I got the feeling after Kessler and Banks’ somber guitar-vocal duet halfway through the set, that it would be right back to business as usual, and it was. With an early wake-up call this morning, I took off my sunglasses and headed home before the encore.
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It’s True, a.k.a. Adam Hawkins and whoever he’s playing with these days, announced a CD release show yesterday on Facebook. The new disc is called Another Afterlife, and the show is April 1 at The Waiting Room with the Haunted Windchimes, Noah’s Ark was a Spaceship, and Cowboy Indian Bear. It’s good to have you back, Mr. Hawkins.

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Speaking of talented singer/songwriters, tonight Brad Hoshaw is headlining a gig at Slowdown Jr. with Lincoln Dickison, SAS and Michael Wunder. $7, 9 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.