Friday 30/11/07 Interpol @ Alexandra Palace, London

On any November evening, there’s something altogether quite miserable about Alexandra Palace as it sits graciously atop of a hill in North London, gazing over the cityscape below. Tonight, however, takes some beating. As the rain pours and the wind howls like a rigid North Sea breeze against the east coastline of Britain, the cavernous venue is reduced to a dark, fearsome windbreak for a number of tonight’s audience who are using its numerous indented archways as temporary shelter.

Inside, and out of the rain, however, it’s a different story. Tonight the venue –more affectionately known as ‘Ally Pally’ – is, for the second night running, playing host to Interpol. The mini-residency caps a phenomenal year for the New York band whose third album, ‘Our Love To Admire,’ has finally given them their first taste of success outside of the alt.indie crowd.

Understandably therefore, the album’s tracklist features prominently during the performance. In fact, for a band that were reluctant to expose much of the record during a flurry of UK shows back in May, it seems that now they can’t withhold from playing enough of it. All of it’s more considered moments are aired, with ‘Pioneer To The Falls’ providing a succinct opening and ‘No I In Threesome’ bubbling like disrupted lava flow. Rarely played ‘The Lighthouse’ is the real heart stopper though, finally exposing the soft core to singer Paul Banks’ typically pessimistic exterior.

With its Victorian acoustics, Alexandra Palace has proved one upgrade too far for a number of acts since it became one of London’s ‘unofficial’ larger venues. For Interpol, however, it feels like home. Banks’ vocals have never sounded as dynamic as they do on ‘Evil’ and as resonant as they do on ‘Mammoth,’ where they seem to echo long after they’re uttered. “Thank you very much,” he mumbles nervously, not for the first time, with an Elvis like appreciation at the songs end.

Three albums in and one feels that Interpol may have finally stumbled on the perfect set list - one which blends their chilling moments of sobriety with the uplifting bursts of elation. They let you know it as well. From the audiences’ left-to-right the on stage behaviour is eye-catching. Guitarist Daniel Kessler’s knees continue to melt under his own body weight as he dances; drummer Sam Fogarino is relentless with his sticks; Banks is lurched over his microphone with intent, and, even bassist Carlos D breaks free of his stoic Edwardian shell during ‘Not Even Jail.’

Perhaps his liberation is the most telling of all. In many ways Interpol have long since arrived as a band. Tonight, however, they’ve arrived all over again, except, now it’s on the cusp of something far greater.

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