Interpol Aren't Out to Be 'The Next U2'

This September, Interpol will head to Europe to open a series of shows for U2, taking another step toward what many fans and critics see as the New York City post-punk outfit's inevitable ascent to the level of stadium band. Drummer Sam Fogarino is ready to rock the masses, but as he tells Spinner, he prefers the smaller rooms.

"Personally speaking, I love a theater," Fogarino says. "Three to five thousand people is my comfort level, but I think the band's sound can translate. We played the L.A. Forum, we played Madison Square Garden and nobody was disappointed."

In the eight years since the release of its bleak, brooding debut, 'Turn on the Bright Lights,' Interpol have built an increasingly textured sound, nodding to influences other than Joy Division. Following 2004's 'Antics,' the group left indie imprint Matador and released its third album, 'Our Love to Admire,' on Capitol Records, hinting, some speculated, at stadium aspirations.

"We're kind of free and easy," Fogarino says. "We want forward motion, for sure. We definitely don't want to sacrifice our integrity. It's got to feel right. We don't sit down and map out how we can become the next U2 or some big stadium band, but as long as the music is good, I don't care how big the shows are. It's a ridiculous notion that it affects your music."

While Fogarino admits Interpol have, over time, cultivated a bigger sound -- one that will be apparent on the group's forthcoming self-titled fourth album, due out in September on Matador -- he insists he and his bandmates have stayed true to themselves and the spirit of their early work.

"It's not like we're a garage-rock band trying to fill an arena, but I don't know if it's our main drive," he says. "It becomes an afterthought. It's more about making the record and writing the songs and taking it from there and seeing where it would be comfortable to do what we do."