The lights go out and impulsively the crowd tightens just as our hearts seem to tighten, engulfed in excitement. The four men place themselves with their instruments and launch with the famous church organ that quickly taps into our mental Interpol omnibus and retrieves the enchanting sounds of “New Exit”, the first song on their latest oeuvre: Antics.

The lighting pierces through the thick vacuum of smog in the birthing of a colorfully hazy atmosphere as the guitar chords reverberate familiar sequences and the drum beats synchronize with our heartbeat. Guitarist Daniel Kessler on the left seems to have lost himself to his own enthralling musical potion while on the right of frigid front man Paul Banks who doesn’t seem to exert much effort towards mobility, Carlos D. in his freakish Nazi like outfit waltzes with his base.

Songs like “NARC”, “Not Even Jail”, “C’mere” and especially “Slow Hands” render some of us euphoric, as we dance in place and helplessly drum-tap our thighs, or even the back of the person in front of us. Those upbeat songs are shuffled with the slower, poignant ones like “Take You on a Cruise”, “Public Pervert” and “Stella”, the songs that abduct the soul to a state wherein nothing is felt or thought of but the sound and lyrics of the music careening through their sound waves into our veins. I wouldn’t promise that one would enjoy the show without being familiar with Interpol’s music, or even enjoying Interpol’s music, being that they’re not vigorously animated on stage. However, the elating quality of their material is what keeps inviting their fans to their live shows. An Interpol concert is a chance to physically experience their music in an emotionally moving and mentally displacing manner, by means of dramatic lighting, powerful sound and the presence of the band right in front.