Interpol at Mercury Lounge [photos + review]

Photos + Article by Will Oliver

“Wait, Interpol are playing Mercury Lounge?” was a common comment when people saw the announcement that New York’s very own Interpol were play an underplay at the 250-capacity venue. The fact people literally couldn’t fathom the notion says it all.

It’s the same venue where the band used to play during their early days as a band, as frontman Paul Banks reminisced during the show recalling the last time they played their was August 2001, only a month before the world forever changed, just to put it further into perspective.

Interpol was in town for the CBGB Festival which was cancelled due to this weekend’s Nor’easter, originally their lone New York-area date in support of their newly released album, This Mirror Weighs a Ton, which was released via Partisan Records. It’s the band’s finest record in nearly a decade, seeing them find a rejuvenated sense of themselves.

They brought this inspired energy with them to Mercury Lounge, where they visually were in great spirits taking the familiar stage once again. Banks recalled that their August 2001 stop in was during a weird beginning of their journey, one that has taken them to the biggest stages of the world, including headlining Madison Square Garden.

The show lifted off with the record’s single and opener “This Mirror Weighs a Ton”, and also included “Iron City”, “See Out Loud” and “Wings on Fire.” The rest of the setlist was full of all the Interpol classics that have made them such a long-standing success on the scene. It felt like a gift to get to see the band play these songs that have soundtracked so much of my life in such an intimate space where it was more common than not to share eye contact as they were delivered. It was clear that I was not the only one as there seemed to be a successful proposal right in front of the band after the performance of “NYC.”

In between songs, a passionate fan screamed “You sound fucking awesome” at the band, which caused them all to break and laugh. It’s the sort of moment that the band and entire crowd wouldn’t get to normally all take part in, but that was the special thing about last night’s performance, truly one of the best shows of the entire year.

Find a full set of photos below, along with the setlist.

Interpol Setlist:

1. This Mirror Weighs a Ton
2. C’mere
3. No I in Threesome
4. Narc
5. All the Rage Back Home
6. Rest My Chemistry
7. See Out Loud
8. Wings on Fire
9. The Rover
10. Evil
11. Pioneer to the Falls
12. Obstacle 1
13. Iron City
14. The New
15. Not Even Jail
16. PDA
17. NYC
18. Take You on a Cruise
19. Slow Hands