Maximo Park - Seattle, WA

Remember when you were a kid and your brother had Ride The Lightning? My best friend's brother had the new Whitesnake at that time and he thought it was the real shit. You knew you were right, but he still said things like, "Dude, these guys rock!" Sorry, but Cliff rules. When The Bravery took the stage, I felt like informing the entire crowd that Maximo Park would be in my brother's CD Player as they said things like, "That guy is a bad-ass."

Maximo Park are a band from Newcastle, England, on Warp Records. They are part of the new wave of Brit-Pop. That having been said, they are really, really good at what they do. After hearing Kaiser Chiefs on the independent radio station and The Bravery on the corporate-sponsored radio (Seattle's The End 107.7, who helped sponsor this event), one has to wonder about Warp Records version of this genre. While some of the bands that are riding this popular wave are not quite as good in the way that the Smiths were, Maximo Park are. So let's do it, Maximo Park have been at this game for quite a while. Their album A Certain Trigger is a great debut and they have obviously toured extensively; their live show is amazing.

The show started early, as it was an all-ages affair (Seattle has some vicious dance ordinance laws). Maximo Park opened the show with a subdued tenacity, you know, that air of, "oh don't worry - sooner than later you will be dancing. Your ass off. But in a minute." And then it hit. For another stroll down memory lane, you remember that movie Titus when Alan Cumming's character flies off the handle at the Roman Senate? Ladies and gentlemen, Maximo Park's singer Paul Smith. His stage presence was reminiscent of Ian Curtis' nervous/epileptic wrecked dance style. Along with keyboardist Lukas Wooller's angular, bouncing, and even robotic dance (yeah, the robot) the band propelled itself and the audience with an energy that was both chaotic and focused, honed from years of touring.

The crowd at this show was an interesting one. The club (The Showbox) was near capacity with both old and young. Most of the crowd it seemed were between ages eighteen and twenty-one. It is always a surprise to see people that are vastly better dressed than me at age thirteen. For the most part, the crowd reminded me of college, the early years. Everyone was smiling and happy to be at the show. By the end of Maximo Park's set the crowd was jumping pogo style, singing along and having a grand time. Their set was composed primarily of album cuts, a new song that I believe was called, "Eight Eighteen." All tracks ordered so that the "radio hit" ("Apply Some Pressure") was second to last. The budding energy throughout the show came to a great apex with some front man antics and congratulatory cheering. Maximo Park are genuine in a genre that is awash with mediocre acts, standing on their own. As their tour with The Bravery ends, they have booked a tour with Kaiser Chiefs for the month of October, but it's already sold out, so please save for the scalper, it's worth it.