Essex born, New York bred and hypnotically voiced Interpol frontman, Paul Banks played a solo show in Camden, north London last week with support from California based indie band The Neighbourhood and I had the privilege to attend. Banks is known for his haunting vocals and melancholic lyrics and after spending the last year listening to his work with Interpol, I couldn’t wait to see him live, as well as lose my KOKO virginity.

KOKO is a music venue that I’ve been dying to go to since moving to London for university and it did not fail to please. It was a former theatre and the acoustics were ideal for Banks’ voice.

Banks performed both his recently released album, Banks, and his debut solo album, Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper, under his alter-ego Julian Plenti. Unfortunately he doesn’t play any Interpol music on solo tours, and talking to other audience members it seemed that I wasn’t alone in considering this a night of Paul Banks appreciation rather than excitement, something that others would agree would be reserved for Interpol. Everyone I spoke to agreed that Paul Banks and Julian Plenti are by far inferior to the atmosphere the band members of Interpol bring to albums such as Antics and Our Love to Admire.

Still, the relaxed atmosphere in KOKO was definitely what was needed, and after spending many evenings listening to Banks’ voice while drinking a glass of red wine, the opportunity to enjoy the same experience live couldn’t be missed.

Opening with instrumental Skyscraper was the perfect way to get the audience pumped, and the moment his seductive voice came along, our energy kicked in and we were all in awe of how alluring his live presence felt.

Banks’ support, The Neighbourhood, definitely left an impression among the audience as well. With their lively opening to the night. They reminded me of vintage Maroon 5 before the unfortunate realization that they could be more successful by becoming mainstream and featuring the likes of Christina Aguilera and Wiz Khalifa to their music. The Neighbourhood have so far released their EP I’m Sorry… containing some great tracks such as Female Robbery and Sweater Weather, however their hipster image (an upside-down house is their logo, and they were mostly selling beanies with said logo on the merchandise stand) could make or break this band, it will be interesting to hear their debut album (release date unconfirmed) and see whether their music will catch on or not in the UK.

Overall, it was a memorable night. Paul Banks delivered better than everyone expected and the general feel-good vibe was appreciated all round. I really can’t wait till I attend my next KOKO gig.