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New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
John Aizlewood's rating
Reader rating
Description: Paul Smith and his quirky Newcastle indie-rockers perform tracks from their third album, Quicken The Heart.
Everyone loves a trier and Maximo Park try harder than the rest.
Even before he had bellowed a note, never knowingly under-dressed singer Paul Smith made his point that this was a spectacle rather than a mere concert. Wearing white jeans, white jacket, white shirt, pink tie and fedora, he resembled a Graham Greene character, even if his singing was more akin to Ant (or, perhaps, Dec).
Smith didn't stop there. He charged hither and thither across stage, he pointed at the audience (who pointed right back) and he said "thank you" so often that some of us were thanked to death.
Behind him were disparate characters, as watchable as they were likeable: Archie Tiku, a bear of a bassist; powerhouse drummer Tom English; Duncan Lloyd who looked like Bill Gates's more nerdy brother but played guitar almost as mellifluously as Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante, and endearingly manic keyboardist Lukas Wooller, who dressed as if Cutting Crew were still with us.
The pop-punk songs didn't quite match the spectacle, but on the road-hardened material from their album A Certain Trigger they came close, particularly the plaintive bluster of Going Missing and the heroic closer, Apply Some Pressure.
Nosebleed ("about kissing on a bench in the evening"), the pick of the new fare, showed a slight broadening of the palette, but in truth Maximo Park are refining their myriad strengths and the response accorded to familiar and unfamiliar alike by a capacity crowd suggested it's the right course for now.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
Maximo Park played Brixton like it was the last gig in the world. They exuded energy, enthusiasm and a range of old/new material that was both catchy and foot tappingly good. The fans sang along and danced manically, the bouncers had their work cut out on the balconies and a damn good time was had by all. I go to gigs almost every week and I can say with hand on heart, those Geordie boys rocked the Academy! 5* all the way...
- Tcv, London
