Another good show from an under-rated band.
At the height of their popularity in America in the 1970's, such was the level of Led Zeppelins arrogance, or drug fuelled pomposity, that they would have an act playing onstage after their set to provide the crowd some music to leave by or to allow them to extend the evening.
Even though Maximo Park are the official headliners of the NME Shockwaves Tour, they may be feeling just like the bands that appeared after Jimmy, Robert, John-Paul and John such is the ferocity of hype and passion that centres around the Arctic Monkeys second billing slot on this tour.
To the bands credit, they certainly gave the show 100% effort and energy and their own fans would have been wowed by the strong performance and hint of new material that was on show.
Having performed on the NME Rock N Roll Riot Tour only last October, the experience of playing to a varied audience isn't new to Maximo Park and they played to their own strengths by focussing on their keyboard led melodies and upbeat tempos.
Lead singer Paul Smith and keyboard player Lukas Wooller never stop moving and dancing all night, at times almost looking as though they are in pain but certainly giving everything they can.
Playing hit single 'Graffiti' early in the set goes some way to winning the fans over, and although some of the bands album tracks failed to get the crowd moving as much as they would have hoped, Maximo certainly couldn't be faulted for trying.
When the new material came around, the music was impressive as it bristled with energy and seemed to have a punkier edge than some of the existing tracks. Sadly the track was let down with some ropey lyrics, perhaps its part of a bigger story to the band but the some of the crowd were puzzled or amused by the references to times tables and what five times five makes. And for all their good efforts, it was clear that Maxmo Park lacked the simple lyrical topics and interplay that made the Arctic Monkeys the premier draw of this tour.
'Apply Some Pressure' appeared at the end of the set and highlighted that when they are on form, Maximo Park can provide great indie-dance material and should be around for quite a while.
After finishing this tour, the band is taking a break to work on new material and hope to be back before 2006 is out with a new record and another tour. With a new album to promote in front of their own fans, its likely that Maximo Park will find themselves back on top form and can be confident that the entire venue will look upon them with love and affection, unlike their current tour where they still had to win fans over.