[by Chris DeLine]

Interpol and Liars hit the State Theatre this past Friday, playing a varied show amongst the inconducive atmosphere of the house’s seating arrangements. Both sets, in spite of the bands that played, were impaired by the crowd’s inability to move around and drive the night’s energy during the show. That being said, even given the environment, Interpol failed to deliver neither a solid nor entertaining set.

Multiple fans found themselves leaping up and cheering for Liars early in the set despite the majority of the crowd’s decision to remain sitting throughout the performance. “Plaster Casts of Everything” prompted a dozen or so more to sporadically jump up out of their seats, raising their hands and saluting the band. That being said, early on it became apparent that despite the venue’s expansive capacity, one conducive to Interpol’s ever increasing status, the State was not the proper locale for Liars to perform.

It is strange to admit that the highlight of the band’s set came with no music whatsoever considering the strength of the band’s recent self titled release. Late in the set the band’s lone Australian native, Angus Andrew, briefly signaled and stopped the song. After reaching to pick something up Andrew stood back up and announced, “sorry, I dropped my pick” before the band simultaneously slammed back into gear. Oddly enough, that was the way the band’s set went, the emphasis almost solely on Andrew as the rest of the act (even considering drummer Julian Gross’s gold draping shirt) hardly moved on stage; their energy level unfortunately lulled, hardly validating the few dozen fans who stood throughout the set.

There was a considerable level of build up prior to the Interpol’s set given the success of the band’s most release Our Love To Admire, an album that is as distant and cryptic as it is warm and vulnerable. But instead of the tiresome indie label that the band has worn for a number of years the set wreaked of uninspired arena rock, something that I dread to think anyone expected prior to the opening chords of “Pioneer to the Falls.”

Even before the band got to their latest single, “No I in Threesome,” the blinding light show and inexistant stage presence was a single giant sparkling lemon short of a U2 show. But after the song, even with a half dozen tracks to go, a blanket of purple lighting seemed to spell the end of the set as Interpol continued by hardly interacting with the crowd and playing their well rehearsed songs by the playbook.

Whereas Liars were helmed solidly by Angus Andrew, playing the role of the band’s leader for the night, Interpol lacked hegemony as its members were equally as uninvolved and standstill. Not too long ago Aesop Rock visited First Avenue and made comment on the perils of living the life as a touring musician. “A lot of shows seem like work” he said, continuing by letting the crowd know that whenever he visits Minneapolis they never seem like work. On Friday, as the night wore on, Carlos D’s nonchalant swagger adopted a tone of indifference rather than that of a rock star – and it most definitely seemed like work. At least with U2 there’s a show involved.

Interpol Set List:

Pioneer to the Falls
Say Hello to the Angels
NARC
C’mere
Pace is the Trick
Mammoth
Take You on a Cruise
No I in Threesome
Slow Hands
Rest My Chemistry
Evil
The Heinrich Maneuver
Not Even Jail

Encore
NYC
Obstacle 1
PDA

Interpol: (Official) (MySpace)

Liars: (Official) (MySpace) (Wikipedia)

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Also: (Liars – Exclusive Promo Trailer & “Plaster Casts of Everything” Video)