Afternoon:
10°c
Critic rating
Fresh material has maximum impact
Louis Pattison, London Lite 22 Feb 2007
On their arrival in 2005 many were too quick to dismiss Newcastle's Maximo Park as second division sorts: a few nice singles, a singer with an impressive comb-over but ultimately, a band in the shadow of their north eastern kin The Futureheads.
Two years on The Futureheads have no record deal, but Maximo Park bound onstage to a packed Astoria with a Mercury Prize-nominated album, 2005's A Certain Trigger, under their belts and a new album due in April.
Maximo clearly saw the night as a perfect opportunity to introduce new material to a rapt crowd.
The songs boast a noticeably more muscular edge - the snappy Our Velocity even sparked off a spate of headbanging.
But Maximo have always approached rock from strange angles.
Lukas Wooler's squidgy keyboard lines gave songs such as Girls Who Play Guitars an eccentric flavour.
Ultimately though, Maximo Park's emotional side is their most endearing quality. These songs are as warm and sweet as they are smart and cerebral.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
