Music

On Monday (April 1), Interpol announced a free concert at Mexico City’s Zócalo slated for April 20. It will be, according to a press release, the biggest show the New York band has ever played in their career.

“We are absolutely electric with excitement to announce that we will be playing a free concert for our Mexican fans — and fans from all over for that matter — at the Zócalo in the heart of Mexico City on Saturday April 20, 2024,” the band wrote on their social media in both English and Spanish. “It’s a dream for us to be able to perform in such an iconic and historic setting! We are gonna give it some ganas, so be there or be square as they say. More information to follow soon.”

The announcement was also made by the government and the secretariat of culture of Mexico City in a press conference and on social networks, causing excitement among fans online. “On Saturday, April 20, the Zócalo welcomes Interpol, a post-punk band formed by Paul Banks, Daniel Kessler and Sam Fogarino,” the post reads. “Come sing iconic songs of this New York band like ‘C’mere’ or ‘Evil’ in the Zócalo.”

This is the second massive show announced so far this year in the Primer Cuadro of the city, following Mexican-American artist Julieta Venegas’ gig on March 16 to commemorate International Women’s Day, when she drew some 80,000 fans to the venue, according to figures from the capital’s authorities.

Interpol’s show in the Zócalo was a rumor that circulated for at least two years, when the group came to the Mexican capital to promote their 2022 album The Other Side of Make-Believe, and even visited the Museum of Mexico City.

“The concert will be an opportunity for Interpol to give back to their long and dedicated Mexican fan base for their unconditional support over the years,” the band’s press office in Mexico said in a statement, referring to the performance as “the biggest show of their career.”

Mexico City’s Zócalo, where international artists such as Paul McCartney, Rosalía and Roger Waters have performed, is the country’s main public plaza, and the second largest in the world after Tiananmen Square in Beijing. So far, the group with the largest attendance in the Zócalo has been the Argentine band Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, which in June 2023 gathered 300,000 concertgoers, according to official figures, taking the record away from Mexico’s Grupo Firme, who in September 2022 gathered 280,000.

Interpol, the trio formed by Paul Banks (vocals and guitar), Daniel Kessler (bass) and Sam Fogarino (drums), has found its most loyal audience in Mexico. Banks, who lived and studied in the Mexican capital many years ago when his father, a top executive in the automotive sector, was temporarily transferred to Mexico, has talked about the loyalty of the band’s Mexican fans on several occasions.

The “Evil” and “Obstacle 1” musicians have headlined festivals such as Corona Capital Mexico City in 2019 and Corona Capital Guadalajara in 2023. Last year, they participated in The World Is a Vampire festival alongside the Smashing Pumpkins at the Foro Sol in the Mexican capital. A year earlier, they performed a concert at the Palacio de los Deportes to present their album Marauder.

Formed in New York in 1997, Interpol quickly rose to fame with their unique blend of post-punk, shoegaze and dark wave influences. Their debut album, Turn on the Bright Lights (2002), was critically acclaimed, establishing the band as a major force in alternative music. Over the course of their career, Interpol has released seven studio albums, including The Other Side of Make-Believe.