British rockers Maximo Park returned to New York for an intimate performance at Bowery Ballroom on November 30 (much smaller than their show at Webster Hall in 2012). The show came in support of their new album Risk to Exist, released this spring via both their own label Daylighting as well as Cooking Vinyl.
Opening the show was local art-rockers Ava Luna who always put on a great show. The group blends so many genres to create something familiar, yet strangely very much their own. They gave us a few new songs that they have been working on, all of which sounded lively and eccentric.
While Maximo Park may not have matched the crazy levels of hype that they received 12 years ago when they released their acclaimed debut album A Certain Trigger, the band has outlasted so many of their NME peers, releasing five more albums since then, creating a steady career for themselves and have no plans of slowing down.
Lead singer Paul Smith is still as enthusiastic as ever, putting on a real performance, constantly navigating the stage and literally jumping into the air whenever the big dramatic moment called for it. The 20-song set had plenty of new material – which has an even more bouncy dance-inspired vibe to it live – along with the expected Maximo Park favorites such asdisappointingur Velocity,” and “Apply Some Pressure” (though there was disappointingly no “The Coast Is Always Changing”), all of which had the crowd backing them up vocally and had the band smiling at the very dedicated audiences that are still showing up for them.
Find some photos from both Ava Luna and Maximo Park’s performances, along with their setlists.
Ava Luna:
Ava Luna Setlist:
1. Coat of Shellac
2. Scrime
3. Deli Run
4. Leaf
5. Childish
6. Cernterline
7. Crown
8. Steve Polyester
9. PRPL
10. Plain Speech
Maximo Park:
Maximo Park Setlist:
1. Risk to Exist
2. I Want You to Stay
3. What Did We Do To You To Deserve This?
4. Books From Boxes
5. Leave This Island
6. The Hero
7. The National Health
8. The Kids Are Sick Again
9. Going Missing
10. This Is What Becomes of the Broken Hearted
11. The Reason I Am Here
12. Graffiti
13. Work and Then Wait
14. Wraithlike
15. Our Velocity
16. What Equals Love?
17. Girls Who Play Guitars
Encore:
18. By the Monument
19. Get High (No, I Don’t)
20. Apply Some Pressure
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