By: Amber Schadewald, Stacy Schwartz
Stacy's take:
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| Paul Smith of Maximo Park - Photo by Stacy Schwartz (click for set) |
There’s nothing I like more than high-energy Brit pop. For over two years I have pined and wished and hoped and cried for a small band from Newcastle, England to hop over the pond and play me some music. Even just one song would suffice. My wish came true on Tuesday night at the Varsity Theater, as Maxïmo Park leapt and jittered onto the stage in a ridiculous display of all that is good about music.
The audience for the first two acts, The Oohlas and Monsters Are Waiting, were so dead that Oohlas lead vocalist/guitarist Ollie Stone kept comparing them to high schoolers who hadn’t seen live music before. “Hello? Wake up!” she called. As the set continued the audience gradually became college kids and then finally “frat kids.” I don’t know if any of these classifications were good, but it was Stone’s attempt to involve the audience. It wasn’t her fault there wasn’t life out there. The Oohlas laid down heavy pop-rock riffs, with Stone’s voice and awesome stage presence enough to keep me cheerily involved for the majority of their set.
As for Maxïmo Park, frontman Paul Smith is one of the bounciest people I’ve ever seen and his insanity is infectious. I’ve also never seen anyone as skinny as him sweat so much in my life. Clad in a black bowler hat with one of his trademark second-hand suits, Smith created life out of the death. The audience roared, sang along, and danced along to tracks from MP’s older album, A Certain Trigger, and their newer release Our Earthly Pleasures. The older singles definitely garnered more favor with the Minneapolis crowd, as my favorite “Kiss You Better” and the poppy anthem “Apply Some Pressure” seemed to be the crowd’s choice for ear candy.
This was an all ages show, and there were kids from 10-years-old on up entranced by the movements of Smith and company. Keyboardist Lukas Wooller put on a show of his own with high kicks and pumping fists coming from the right side of the stage. Wooller provided a good balance and helped keep the focus on the band as a whole. Vocally, Smith put out his best, and he was top notch. He’s got that lilting accent that makes me swoon, but his singing voice is clear and low, with nary a bad thing emerging from those vocal chords. His charisma is amazing, and you can’t help but smile and giggle as you see him leap four feet into the air like he just jettisoned off a springboard.
During their set the band made sure to introduce a bit more of their punk-influenced tracks which makes Maxïmo Park different than many other Brit pop bands out there. They can really kick out the jams. Their softer side was shown on “Nosebleed” and “Books From Boxes,” and this reminded the crowd that Maxïmo Park is not just another trendy band from across the sea. These are real musicians who can make us feel and think and just have an all around great time.
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| Lukas Wooller of Maximo Park - Photo by Stacy Schwartz |
Amber's take:
The combined crowd of small children, blushing teenage girls, 20-30 somethings and near retirees would be assumed hard to please, but English crew Maximo Park had no problem making the all-aged event amazingly entertaining. Apart from their full on sound, most of the viewing value came from the band’s vocalist, Paul Smith.
The epitome of a front man, Smith’s facial expressions, high kicks and wolf-jumps made it pretty impossible to watch anything else but him; a small fire or a dancing camel wouldn’t have managed to avert eyes off the sweaty Smith. Dressed in all black except for his white suit jacket and white shiny shoes, Smith looked machete-sharp and his black bowler hat only perfected the ensemble.
Smith played the crowd, getting shrieks from the teen girls in front while he shook his hips and danced up a storm of sweat with the mic stand (which at one point had to be replaced due to his misuse). During one song the studly man flexed his bicep—completely unnecessary, but no complaints were filed. As the show went on and his tight black attire began to drip steadily, lusting eyes were given more than they could publicly handle. Smith referred to his drenched self as an “oily snake.”
The band mixed in a set of old and new music, inspiring sing alongs to “Our Velocity,” “Apply Some Pressure” and “Kiss You Better.” The energy of the show didn’t let up for a moment, and still the crowd didn’t dance as much as Smith did. In between songs Smith tried to explain the meaning behind the lyrics, but his thick English accent made it a bit difficult for the Mid-western crowd.
Maximo Park sounded clear and strong and a bit like any other indie-rock band from their side of the sea. The keyboards should have been turned up a bit, but overall the balance was rockable. Besides the keyboard player and his gold sneaks, the other three members of the band were pretty forget-me-not, failing to contribute to the live aspect of their music. Luckily for the audience, their man Smith had it covered.
Set list:
Graffiti
Our Velocity
Postcard of a Painting
Parisian Skies
Girls Who Play Guitars
Signal & Sign
Now I’m All Over the Shop
Karaoke Plays
Books From Boxes
Kiss You Better
Russian Literature
Apply Some Pressure
Nosebleed
The Unshockable
Going Missing
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Sandblasted & Set Free
Limassol
Location Info:
The Varsity Theater
Artist Info: Maximo Park
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