Interpol/Secret Machines - Glasgow, Carling Academy (Friday 17th December)
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Interpol seem to have gone overground in a big way with the release of 'Antics' but my (slight) misgivings over the new improved model on record are reinforced live. However my misgivings certainly weren't shared by a sell-out crowd. For me something seems to have been lost along the way - maybe it's just become a little too direct for liking - I liked it when they seemed to go the long way round. The again, maybe it's just me, getting stuck behind a couple of big lads and being just a little too crowded for my liking. But even Carlos, the absolute focus live last year, doesn't seem to be enjoying himself nearly as much. And a normal lloking keyboard player is a MAJOR step in the wrong direction! Whatever there were plenty of positives - after all this is Interpol. The mighty clanking intro to 'Not Even Jail' pushes the envelope briefly, otherwise it's the quality of material which needs to hold things together. In that they have plenty of choice and new material such as 'Length of Love' and 'Evil' particualrly match up to the older stuff like 'Obstacle 1', 'Leif Erickson' and 'Roland'. But the stadium rock pause in the middle of 'PDA' is
inexcusable. What next? Singalongaslowhands? |
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Earlier Secret Machines were a bit disappointing. I'm not quite
sure about the LP but the best stuff 'Nowhere Again' and 'Sad and Lonely' came
over quite well. 'First Wave Intact' though was anything but - somewhat weedy
and dishevelled. The basic problem was that live you had to have either
keyboards or guitars not both. Inevitably the fullness of the record was lost
and instead they ended up sounding quite dirgey on occasion. Finally a word about the venue. I wasn't convinced about the sound to be honest and the split level venue always ends up with too many people at the front. So the Academy or Barras? Barras every time. |
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