Rapturous return for NYC band

NEW York-based band The Rapture’s discopunk hybrid owes obvious debts to the legendary early 80s post-punk band Gang Of Four.

All the same, with tracks like House Of Jealous Lovers, the dancefloor smash which made their name, the band were tagged as ‘saviours of music’ when they burst on the scene in 1999.

“When we moved to NYC in the late Nineties, there was nothing going on, no bands playing, no good nights to go to,” recalls Vito Roccoforte ahead of the band’s visit to Liquid Room on Tuesday. “Then all of a sudden, there was The Strokes, Interpol, Liars, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and there were bands in every bar.

“People were going out to shows again. We saw that happen, that swelling. The Strokes came out of nowhere, but they just had so much power behind them. All these bands sprang up behind them.”

Having gone down an absolute storm on their last visit to the Capital back in 2007, The Rapture return armed with third album In The Grace Of Your Love.

“Taking five years between albums isn’t really the best career move,” admits Roccoforte. “Everything feels like a comeback. But it does mean we can keep the quality high.

“Prolific doesn’t always mean good,” he adds.

The Rapture, Liquid Room, Victoria Street, Tuesday, 7pm, £12.50, www.liquidroom.com