Interpol have announced a huge free show in Mexico City, scheduled for later this month – find all the details below.
The New York band are due to perform in Zócalo, a historic 280,000-capacity ceremonial square, on Saturday, April 20. It’ll mark their biggest gig yet, and be Mexico’s largest concert event of the year so far.
Sharing details of the upcoming date on social media yesterday (April 1), Interpol wrote: “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.
“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 show was also confirmed by the government and the Secretariat Of Culture of Mexico City: “On Saturday, April 20, the Zócalo welcomes Interpol, a post-punk band formed by Paul Banks, Daniel Kessler and Sam Fogarino.
“Come sing iconic songs of this New York band like ‘C’mere’ or ‘Evil’ in the Zócalo.” See the posts below.
Estamos absolutamente electrificados de emoción al anunciar que daremos un concierto gratuito para nuestros fans mexicanos, y de hecho, para fans de todas partes, en el Zócalo en el corazón de la Ciudad de México el sábado 20 de abril de 2024.
¡Es un sueño para nosotros poder… pic.twitter.com/xPQ3OkOdiv— Interpol (@Interpol) April 1, 2024
El sábado 20 de abril, el Zócalo recibe a @Interpol, banda de postpunk integrada por @bankspaulbanks, Daniel Kessler y Sam Fogarino.
Ven a cantar canciones icónicas de esta agrupación neoyorquina como “C’mere” o “Evil” en la plancha del Zócalo capitalino.
19 horas |… pic.twitter.com/3nwRJuwN2r
— Secretaría de Cultura de la Ciudad de México (@CulturaCiudadMx) April 1, 2024
A press release reads: “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.” It goes on to call the landmark performance “the biggest show of their career” (via Billboard).
Interpol previously headlined Corona Capital Mexico City and Corona Capital Guadalajara – the two biggest festivals in Mexico – in 2019 and 2023, respectively. In 2022, they played at the 26,000-capacity Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City.
Following their Zócalo date, Interpol will appear at numerous US festivals before the group embark on their ‘Antics’ 20th anniversary UK tour in November (find any remaining tickets here).
Speaking to NME recently, guitarist Daniel Kessler explained: “We did two shows in France where we played ‘Antics’ in full [last year], and it’s been really strange. It’s nerve-wracking at first.”
He continued: “It might not seem that much of a stretch for a band to play an album in sequence, but it really is. It’s sequenced for the record in a very intentional way, but performing it as such means going from first gear to fourth gear and vice versa.
“When we did those two shows, it really took some activating and getting used to – regardless of how many times you’ve played those songs before.”
Kessler added: “Nervous energy makes you be very present in the moment, and you want to stay faithful to what people are expecting to hear.”
Additionally, Interpol are set to to open for Smashing Pumpkins in Europe this summer. “We did some shows with them last year and they were a lot of fun,” Kessler told NME.
“We really try to feel it out each night per situation. I saw Smashing Pumpkins play when I was in high school, so it’s really great to be playing with them.”
The guitarist also shared an update on new music, saying: “We’re writing a lot this year and we don’t have any specific recording plans, but we’re working on it in between all this touring.
“It’s a little too early [to reveal how it sounds] but it’s exciting, that’s for sure.”
Interpol released their seventh and latest studio album, ‘The Other Side Of Make-Believe’, in 2022.