Interpol kicked off a two-night run at Kings Theatre w/ Tycho and Matthew Dear (review, setlist)

Two decades after their seminal debut LP, Interpol will unveil their seventh album The Other Side of Make-Believe later this summer, and they’re currently giving fans a preview of the record on their North American tour with Tycho and Matthew Dear. On Saturday night (5/15), the band played their first of two hometown dates at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre which are also the last shows of the tour.

As Interpol took the stage, it was clear the cavernous acoustics of Kings Theatre would lend itself well to their sound, as the haunting opening riff to “Untitled” echoed throughout the venue. The band revealed themselves via layers of LED lights which flickered and rose throughout the room, as Paul Banks’ distinct vocals later sliced through the intense atmosphere. From there they launched into “Evil” from Antics, which immediately got most of the crowd out of their seats; the band, who were generally light on banter, leaned slightly on favorites from their first two albums throughout the night, such as “Obstacle 1,” “Take You on a Cruise,” “Narc,” and “The New,” all of which received a noticeable uptick of energy from the audience. They also brought out highlights from the band’s other records, including “Pioneer to the Falls” and “Rest My Chemistry” from Our Love to Admire, “All the Rage Back Home” from El Pintor, and “If You Really Love Nothing” and “The Rover” from their most recent LP Marauder.

As for songs from the upcoming album, Interpol’s set included the already-released singles “Toni” and “Something Changed,” which had guitarist Daniel Kessler taking on piano duties. Similar to other stops on this tour, the band also included two other cuts from The Other Side of Make-Believe: the foreboding “Fables,” whose descending chord progression fit perfectly alongside the band’s more classic material; and the rhythm-laden “Into the Night,” which had most of the audience up and moving.

After the band closed their main set with the anthemic “C’mere,” they returned to the stage for a thrilling three-song encore, beginning with the driving “Lights” off their 2010 self-titled LP, which was appropriately paired with a dazzling strobe display. Then the opening drum beats of “PDA” immediately sent the crowd into a frenzy as they shouted the song’s chorus, and Kessler and Banks’ interweaving guitars felt even more chill-inducing in a live setting. They kept the euphoric energy high with “Slow Hands” to close out the night.

Tycho made for a great lead-in to Interpol, and their blend of chillwave-inspired synth layering, psych rock, and post-rock instrumental tension was largely satisfying within Kings Theatre’s heightened walls. Scott Hansen and company ran through highlights from Dive, Awake, and other albums, as projections of sunsets and natural landscapes accompanied their enveloping sound. Unfortunately we arrived a little late to catch opener Matthew Dear.

Interpol wrap up their tour with Tycho and Dear tonight at Kings, and will play Just Like Heaven fest next week in California. They’ll also return to North America with Spoon and The Goon Sax later this summer.

You can view fan-shot photos and videos, as well as Interpol’s setlist, below.

SETLIST: Interpol @ Kings Theatre 5/15/22
Untitled
Evil
Fables
If You Really Love Nothing
Take You on a Cruise
Pioneer to the Falls
Narc
Toni
Something Changed
Obstacle 1
All the Rage Back Home
Rest My Chemistry
Into the Night
The Rover
The New
C’mere

ENCORE
Lights
PDA
Slow Hands