On the surface, the story of Interpol’s 2002 full-length debut Turn on the Bright Lights is almost annoyingly of its place and time: four guys meet in New York, start a band, make tightly-wound indie rock jams that sound great at your favorite mid-gentrification Williamsburg bar, sign to a renowned independent label, and the rest is history. But the early-aughts New York of Turn on the Bright Lights is not the young, vibrant, and impossibly cool place of cultural myth. It is a darker and more complicated place, fraught with disappointment and disconnection. It is a crushingly real place, rendered in such vivid emotional detail that it rings true even to those who have never set foot in the city.
Interpol’s debut full-length is wrought with emotional disconnection and faded glory, epic sweep and intimate catharsis. Inevitably, the hype exceeds return (that’s why it’s hype– and, to be fair, Interpol has largely flown under the radar compared to most other NYC acts), but there’s no getting around that Turn On the Bright Lights is an incredibly powerful and affecting album. Loss, regret, and a minor key brilliantly permeate jangling guitars and rhythmic and tonal shifts.
Join us to hear Interpol like you never have before!
Portland
Time and Date: Sunday August 18th 2019 2:00pm – 4:00pm
Venue
Gather Portland, 1733 SE 9th Ave, Portland, OR 97214, United States
