 Lovable northern geeks Maxïmo Park return
to Birmingham on the back of their latest album,
Quicken The Heart. Despite reading mixed reviews,
I’m looking forward to seeing the band for
the first time in 2 years, and seeing how they’ve
evolved since then.
As I follow the surprisingly mature audience
into the Academy and collect my ticket, my ears
are met by the sound of the first support act,
Stricken City. Fronted by a failing, wailing Rebekah
Raa, the band deliver overly long, self-indulgent
songs. The music is decent, if not slightly repetitive,
but it’s Rebekah’s pretentious prancing
and bohemian pomp that gets to me. I’m not
alone in my opinion of the band; they receive
an indifferent reception from the majority of
the audience.
Thankfully, Bombay Bicycle Club are up next,
and they pick up the pace. The band members are
impossibly young, and incredibly talented. Frontman
Jack Steadman doesn’t look comfortable in
his own skin, and writhes around the stage like
a restless schoolboy. There’s also an irrepressible
smile plastered across his face for the entire
set, which probably has something to do with the
fact that they’re supporting Maxïmo
Park at the tender age of about 15(?). Their music
is a unique blend of indie and rock, and their
meandering instrumental sections remind me of
Explosions In The Sky. With their incredible energy,
obvious talent, as well as having age on their
side, this is a band to look out for in the near
future.
 Finally, Maxïmo Park take to the stage and
their highly anticipated set begins with ‘The
Coast Is Always Changing’. From the beginning,
frontman Paul Smith is the main attraction. The
other members of the band look a little lost,
and keep to themselves at the back of the stage,
while Paul prances around in his slightly awkward,
slightly scary dancing style. In between songs
he slips into a geeky shyness, rambling about
what each song means. But that’s why we
love him.
They play a perfect mix of older songs, crowd
pleasers, and new material. The crowd naturally
favour their older songs, and their better known
tracks (‘Our Velocity’, ‘Girls
Who Play Guitars’). There was less enthusiasm
for some of their newer tracks, but this could
be because people haven’t had time to listen
to them yet, since the album has barely been out
a week. Personally, some of their new tracks are
among my favourites already; most notably ‘A
Cloud Of Mystery’ and ‘I Haven’t
Seen Her In Ages’.
The highlights of the evening are ‘Books
From Boxes’ (I don’t think there’s
a single person not singing along), ‘Questing,
Not Coasting’, (another of the best of the
new tracks), and ‘By The Monument’.
Sadly, they play a surprisingly short set of just
over an hour. As they return for their 3 song
encore, Paul explains that they will play 2 old
songs (‘Graffiti’ and ‘Apply
Some Pressure’) instead of 2 new songs because
the crowd has been ‘so kind’. We show
our appreciation by singing our hearts out, savouring
the last few moments of the Park.
Stricken City – 2/5
Bombay Bicycle Club – 4/5
Maxïmo Park – 5/5
Review By Helen Williams
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