ART BRUT
Supported by hometown heroes Art Brut, led by Eddie Argos, the night started with a punchy mini best‑of: ‘Formed a Band’, ‘Pump Up the Volume’, and the sonic attack of ‘Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out’. Eddie, candid and witty as ever, cheerfully traced a line from Idles and Yard Act back to Art Brut’s influence, then launched into a detailed (and very funny) account of how many of their songs were written on the local M1 bus — even floating the idea of a guided tour.
MAXIMO PARK
I last saw Maximo Park supporting The Do Me Bad Things in Bournemouth back in 2004, and I’ve enjoyed watching their rise — from that early slot to headlining the NME Tour (above The Arctic Monkeys, no less) and becoming one of the UK’s premier indie bands. Tonight marked the 20th anniversary of their debut album, A Certain Trigger. Maxïmo Park came out to ‘Signal and Sign’ against a glorious 1950s TV‑show backdrop: white steps up to the drum riser and mini‑stages for Paul Smith to hop on and off. The North East quartet thundered through A Certain Trigger’s opener before slamming into the glorious single ‘Graffiti’. Paul, in his trademark suit and bowler hat, remains a whip‑smart showman — throwing shapes and darting across the stage with undimmed grace and energy. The band sounded fantastic; despite a couple of line‑up changes, they’re as tight as they were twenty years ago. The rest of the group stayed relatively still, aside from Jemma Freese sneaking in the odd boogie between keyboard parts. Paul may pause for a swift sip of water before the big notes, but the live vocals often better the studio takes.
Rather than play A Certain Trigger front to back, Maximo Park scattered those tracks among the wider hits — absolutely the right call. Anniversary sets can sag when an audience only knows the singles; this never did. Paul introduced each non‑debut song with context, and the crowd duly lapped up newer cuts like ‘Versions of You’ and ‘The National Health’. After a deadpan claim they’d written a new song at soundcheck, they burst into ‘Our Velocity’ — one of the band’s biggest, from 2007’s Our Earthly Pleasures.
Other highlights included ‘Acrobat’, still the compelling outlier — early Ultravox energy, spoken‑word tension, a sliver of moody calm amid the indie‑pop rush. They closed, of course, with ‘Apply Some Pressure’: no mosh-pit but a sea of beaming faces, every word sung back.
Paul mentioned that the band had enjoyed a spot of pier‑spotting down by the coast and hinted at a swift return. Here’s hoping they’re back next year to toast the 20th anniversary of Our Earthly Pleasures.
Follow Maximo Park – @maximoparkofficial
Follow Art Brut –@artbrutbandofficial
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