Another Triumph
When this tour was announced back in February, it was expected that Maximo Park would be basking in the glory of their second album. When Room Thirteen spoke to drummer Tom English during the NME Awards Tour in January the plan was to "hopefully put it out in the autumn".
When it became clear that the new record would not be released until 2007, it was not unreasonable to wonder how much new material the autumn shows would feature. Those who saw them at the
Carling WeekendGot a taster of what the band has been working on in the studio since the start of August, and those turning up at Brixton were certainly not disappointed as the current UK tour has been an excellent progress report for album number two.
OK so there's no new Maximo Park material in record stores as yet, but their might as well have been for this was a set heavy with new songs, with the crowd lapping them up as if they'd been live anthems for as long as the classics from 'A Certain Trigger'. Reassuringly for those who love what Paul Smith and co do, the new stuff is not going to leave the die-hards feeling alienated. That said the band have clearly homed their skill of writing great singles, for virtually every unfamiliar song sounded like it was made for radio, holding their own alongside fan favourites 'I Want You To Stay', 'Graffiti', 'Going Missing' and the fantastic set closer 'Apply Some Pressure'.
For all the new stuff on show, some things never change. Smith was as humble as ever, is their really a more grateful frontman anywhere in the world? Not sure I'd have gone with the white from head to toe look for a sweaty night in Brixton but each to their own I guess.
As well as being a very watchable performer, Smith is one of the best in the business when it comes to communicating with his audience, even the old songs were introduced with phrases like "this one is a song about...", doubtless he has been explaining these tour after tour.
As you'd expect Brixton Academy was packed for this show, something which seemed to surprise the bloke behind us for he was heard to say "It's busy in here tonight!" like a confused regular in a country pub when a coach load of American tourists has shown up. Even if he wasn't a gig regular he couldn't have failed to be swept along by the energy of the fans, clearly buzzing at the strength of what Maximo Park will be releasing in a few months time. Gigs with a large amount of new or unfamiliar material can have strange atmospheres, however it's a sign of the loyalty of the fans, and the immediacy of the songs that this wasn't the case for this show. It can't be denied that the tour to promote the new record next spring will be an even better affair, but for the time being the capacity crowd were sent home happy to have seen one of the best live acts the UK currently has.