MAXÏMO PARK

Opening this fine night was Troubled Hubble - a band from Chicago. They sounded pretty good, though I can't exactly place what kind of rock it was... it was different than most stuff I hear now, which is good. But even after seeing they're application in the box at CMJ, I still have yet to process it, which is bad. So.... yes, Troubled Hubble left and on came the Park!


Paul reminds us not to mess with British people.

Maximo Park has been on my most wanted list since March, when I was totally denied and pwned by the bouncer at the Mercury Lounge. They did not disappoint. The guys came up through the crowd and played most of A Certain Trigger and even 2 new ones, A19 and something with the word Doubt ("a year of doubt" maybe?) which were well recieved (because they sounded great). I still had a hard time believing the fact that these were the same guys I sat across a room from 2 months earlier... they were like completely different people. Wild, performing animals. They're energy was refreshing and Paul's vocals, though a little low at times, were mighty good considering all that jumping and sweating. All of the songs were pretty solid (at least for my first time hearing them live). In terms of the overall experience, I could have done without the girls in front of me feeling like they had to literally translate all of the lyrics with their hands, but you know, let me not be a hater. The band was awesome, Lukas was a badass, and Paul shook his hips like there was no tomorrow!

as usual, more pictures ala les webshots.

setlist:


Paul announced that "Kiss You Better" was for Gwendolyn. The lyrics to "kiss" could go either way, so it's hard to say whether gwendolyn should celebrate that dedication...

When I first saw the setlist, I though Leave/Doubt was clever language for something along the lines of "leave the stage, crowd in doubt as to whether you will come back." Of course, it ended up not being that intricate - Leave stood for "I Want You To Leave" (off they're ep) and Doubt stood for that new song called something with doubt in the title.

Bottom Line: I love this band. and no, I won't stop praising them until they are the biggest band in the world - which is when I'll probably stop going to see them because of all the annoying people (but I'll still love them in my heart).