Games for Days

Julian Plenti
First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, 27 November


First Unitarian Church, arguably Philadelphia's most unusual venue, was the last stop on the American leg of the Julian Plenti tour. A small but enthusiastic crowd crammed into the tiny basement gig space for a set that included both the softly introspective and angularly uptempo tracks from debut album Julian Plenti Is...Skyscraper. The music, a product of Interpol frontman Paul Banks' side solo gig, diverges from Interpol enough to make it worth a separate listen, while maintaining enough familiar hints of the other band to keep fans happy.

With only one album to draw from, Banks and his band played most of the debut, beginning with some gentler tracks and working up to more dramatic numbers like Fun That We Have . Standouts included soft, dark On the Esplanade and Only If You Run and Interpol-channeling Girl on the Sporting News, along with an unexpected snippet of Let It Snow in honor of the beginning of America's post-Thanksgiving Christmas season. The encore included a well-executed cover of America's A Horse With No Name and closed with lead single Games for Days, one of the most dynamic tracks of the night.

First Unitarian is one of my favorite venues because it provides an opportunity to see great bands in a remarkably intimate space. Banks and his band are well-suited to smaller gigs; the Julian Plenti sound isn't as cavernous and cold as Interpol and Banks' voice changes and modulates slightly, becoming less monotone, to suit the musical differences. Though it's technically a solo project, the band is an integral part of the performance, particularly the standout guitarist. Everyone seemed to be having a great time on stage and in the audience; another facet of First Uni is that it tends to draw an enthusiastic, musically well-informed crowd. Banks seemed pleased and surprised by the warm welcome to his new music; this week they take their solid show off for a short tour of Europe that's well worth attending.