Rosey got a jump on the review already, so here's a few more pix to go with the evening. After The Neighbourhood cleared the stage, Paul Banks and his accompanying three-piece powered through a mix of songs from the new LP Banks and a few from the Julian Plenti era including crowd favorites from Julian Plenti Is... Skyscraper. Musically, it was a great performance. However, he won't be winning any awards for his stage presence any time soon (though when you have a voice like his, maybe jumping all over the stage isn't high on the priority list). That, no photo pit and the lowest lighting I've experienced at HOB didn't make for very dynamic photos, but there were no complaints at the end of the night, especially considering the show ended with rocker 'Games For Days'. Click here for a full set from the show and here for other concert photography.
Last week San Diego was graced with the ultra-cool and charming stylings of Paul Banks, the notable baritone of Interpol who has also recorded under the name Julian Plenti. His latest effort, Banks, released in late October, though largely ignored by commercial radio, is getting plenty of critical praise and play on other outlets like Sirius and Slacker. Still, it is curious to me that Interpol could sell out such massive venues, but those same fans were hardly found at his show at the House of Blues. That was fine by me because the show was awesome and the normally overcrowded venue was comfortable and full of fans devoted to the energy of the show.
Earlier that same afternoon, Banks performed at the 91X Studios for an X-Session and it was pretty cool to be there to check it out. The three songs he performed, "Young Again", "Summertime Is Coming", and my favorite, "Over My Shoulder".
The show at the House of Blues was opened by The Neighbourhood out of Thousand Oaks. Their look defied their sound, and I enjoyed their performance. It was kinda one of those situations where I should've paid better attention to their set because there was one song I particularly loved, but it doesn't look like it's on their EP. You can check out their latest single below.
I had a photo pass for the night, but there was no photo pit, so I took just a few snapshots of the night. You can see more on my Facebook page here.
Paul Banks Setlist:
The Neighbourhood
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It was a totally fun day...thanks Robin Roth for the X-Session invite and to Mike Halloran for letting me hang out in the studio while I waited for my superhero boyfriend to pick me up.
It was pretty great, too, because the show ended early enough to make it to the Casbah for Hot Snakes and Night Marchers. Not too shabby for a Monday night, right?
More photos after the jump. Incidentally, Nate was there shooting, too, so I'm sure he'll be posting much better photos of the night sometime soon.
This Monday night, Paul Banks (aka Julian Plenti, aka lead singer of Interpol)returns to San Diego with his eponymous act in benefit of his new album Banks. Thousand Oaks, CA- based The Neighbourhood opens. More from Matador Records:
Paul Banks, lead singer and guitarist for Interpol, finally steps fully
out from behind his Julian Plenti alter-ego on his second solo album, Banks. Following this summer’s limited-edition Julian Plenti Lives... EP, Banks is a tour-de- force of exhilarating minor-key intensity.
Banks was recorded in New York and Connecticut with producer Peter
Katis (Interpol, The National, Shearwater, Jónsi...). The album is
both personal and epic, catchy and serpentine - much like your favorite
Interpol albums - with Paul's wry humor, bare emotion, and varied
influences all in full effect.
Tickets available through the HOB website here or at the box office- doors @ 6:30, show starts @ 7:30. See you there!
