At the Orpheum Theatre on Thursday, January 27

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. With Carlos Dengler no longer in Interpol’s ranks, the band should, in theory, be exponentially less exciting to see live. After all, even when he traded his Kraftwerk-joins-the-SS look for a mustache-and-bolo-tie combo, the man still exuded an aura of effortless cool.

Oh, and he kicked ass on the bass guitar (sometimes literally, as one cigarette-snatching stage invader learned at Interpol’s first Vancouver gig, at the Royal Hotel in 2002).

It was nothing short of amazing, then, that the New Yorkers not only compensated for Dengler’s absence but also pulled out what was probably the best performance they’ve ever given in this city.

It didn’t hurt that the audience at the Orpheum showed its appreciation in such a thunderous fashion that singer-guitarist Paul Banks felt compelled to remark that Vancouver had set the bar pretty high for the rest of the tour. Which of course is exactly what a rock ’n’ roll frontman is supposed to say, but Banks, who’s not known for being much of a smiler, broke into an ear-to-ear grin often enough for us to take him at his word.

Interpol kicked off with “Success”, which also opens its self-titled 2010 album, following that up with a one-two punch of older songs—“Say Hello to the Angels” and “NARC”. And that was how things went for the remainder of the night, with new material buffered by selections drawn mostly from the band’s first two albums, 2002’s Turn on the Bright Lights and 2004’s Antics. This was a wise plan of action. Interpol was met with lukewarm reviews and, while it is by no means a bad record, it’s best described as a grower.

The newer songs acquitted themselves well in a live setting. “Barricade” sounded every bit the world-conquering hit single it wasn’t, benefiting greatly from the backing vocals of touring keyboardist Brandon Curtis.

Which brings us to the inevitable subject of Interpol’s other touring member. Best known for playing in Slint and Tortoise, bassist David Pajo’s indie credentials are impeccable. (Well, almost—he was also a member of Zwan.) There’s no denying his chops are sound, and he locked in with drummer Sam Fogarino to form a juggernaut rhythm section, but let’s face it: finding someone who can play Dengler’s ingenious bass lines is the easy part.

Equalling his style or stage presence is another matter entirely, and Pajo didn’t really seem to be trying. Dude pretty much just stood there in a suit and played his parts, which left guitarist Daniel Kessler the most animated figure on the stage.

In the end, though, it didn’t matter that much. Given the tight, forceful performances of the group’s best-known numbers, from the surging postpunk of “PDA” to the duelling-EBows melodrama of “Take You on a Cruise”, it was hard to imagine any Interpol fan going home disappointed. Well, except for someone wishing for more than one selection from 2007’s unjustly maligned Our Love to Admire. But maybe that was just me.

Interpol and its current opening act, School of Seven Bells (or SVIIB), don’t sound much alike, but they do have plenty in common. Both are based in New York, for instance, and both feature one of a pair of siblings—Interpol’s touring lineup includes the aforementioned Brandon Curtis on keyboards, while his brother Benjamin Curtis plays guitar in SVIIB.

School of Seven Bells also suffered the loss of a key member last year. Claudia Deheza quit in October, leaving her sister Alejandra to carry the lead vocals alone. She’s up to the task, but given that the Dehezas’ harmonies were a large part of what made the band’s electro-dream-pop songs appealing, that supporting voice floating over the churning swirl of hazy guitar was sorely missed.