The Night I Lost My Head
Yet another missive from Cat's column...
Maximo Park's first album, the multi-million selling A Certain Trigger was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and their eagerly awaited follow up, Our Earthly Pleasures, has received excellent reviews. Their UK tour sold out in hours, so my expectations of their live performance were high.
I wasn't disappointed.
The crowd at the Music Hall on Sunday 6th May were in high spirits - probably buoyed by the fact it was a holiday weekend and the Dons had secured a draw earlier that afternoon. Opening a sell-out gig is a tall order, and sometimes a soul-destroying job, but the audience welcomed Art Brut on stage with open arms. Eddie Argos and his band carried it off with aplomb, playing a 30 minute set which included the singles Emily Kane and My Little Brother. While Argos is reminiscent of a young Conservative MP, and has been likened to the odious Tom from Keane, there's little doubt that he puts on a good show. I suspect they may have gained a few new fans who'll be eagerly anticipating the release of their second album later this year.
Maximo Park came on stage at around 9.30, opening their set with Graffiti. Lead singer Paul Smith leapt around the stage throughout the gig, despite being clad in a suit and hat - both exhausting and invigorating to watch. In many ways, Smith is the perfect front man. He's energetic, extremely charismatic and appears to genuinely enjoy what he does. He chatted to the crowd between songs, making reference to
the last time the band played in the City, the beach, and Pittodrie - the crowd roared their appreciation, and responded with chants of "Max-I-Mo, Max-I-Mo, Max-I-Mo..." instead of the usual "Here we go, here we go, here we go". The band played their way through singles and tracks from both albums, including the current single Our Velocity and hits Apply Some Pressure and Books From Boxes.
After around 90 minute of aerobics, I was surprised Smith wasn't ready for a nap, but the band encored with a version of The Proclaimers' hit, 500 Miles, which went down a treat. Unusually for a cover version, Maximo Park very much made it their own. This personal touch delighted the audience, especially as the band played only two Scottish dates in their tour. The final track of the evening was, aptly, Going Missing, after which the band exited to rapturous applause. The crowd cheered and
stamped for more, but no dice.
The last time Maximo Park played in Aberdeen was as a support act at the Lemon Tree. I wouldn't be at all surprised if their next tour sees them sell out the Exhibition Centre. Far from Going Missing, Maximo Park are going places.
The Night I Lost My Head - Maximo Park
Maximo Park's first album, the multi-million selling A Certain Trigger was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, and their eagerly awaited follow up, Our Earthly Pleasures, has received excellent reviews. Their UK tour sold out in hours, so my expectations of their live performance were high.
I wasn't disappointed.
The crowd at the Music Hall on Sunday 6th May were in high spirits - probably buoyed by the fact it was a holiday weekend and the Dons had secured a draw earlier that afternoon. Opening a sell-out gig is a tall order, and sometimes a soul-destroying job, but the audience welcomed Art Brut on stage with open arms. Eddie Argos and his band carried it off with aplomb, playing a 30 minute set which included the singles Emily Kane and My Little Brother. While Argos is reminiscent of a young Conservative MP, and has been likened to the odious Tom from Keane, there's little doubt that he puts on a good show. I suspect they may have gained a few new fans who'll be eagerly anticipating the release of their second album later this year.
Maximo Park came on stage at around 9.30, opening their set with Graffiti. Lead singer Paul Smith leapt around the stage throughout the gig, despite being clad in a suit and hat - both exhausting and invigorating to watch. In many ways, Smith is the perfect front man. He's energetic, extremely charismatic and appears to genuinely enjoy what he does. He chatted to the crowd between songs, making reference to
the last time the band played in the City, the beach, and Pittodrie - the crowd roared their appreciation, and responded with chants of "Max-I-Mo, Max-I-Mo, Max-I-Mo..." instead of the usual "Here we go, here we go, here we go". The band played their way through singles and tracks from both albums, including the current single Our Velocity and hits Apply Some Pressure and Books From Boxes.
After around 90 minute of aerobics, I was surprised Smith wasn't ready for a nap, but the band encored with a version of The Proclaimers' hit, 500 Miles, which went down a treat. Unusually for a cover version, Maximo Park very much made it their own. This personal touch delighted the audience, especially as the band played only two Scottish dates in their tour. The final track of the evening was, aptly, Going Missing, after which the band exited to rapturous applause. The crowd cheered and
stamped for more, but no dice.
The last time Maximo Park played in Aberdeen was as a support act at the Lemon Tree. I wouldn't be at all surprised if their next tour sees them sell out the Exhibition Centre. Far from Going Missing, Maximo Park are going places.
The Night I Lost My Head - Maximo Park
Labels: Maximo Park
delivered by Cat at 8:21 PM
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