Maxïmo Park review: Newcastle rockers still have their spark 20 years on as they thrill O2 Academy Leeds crowd
Twenty years on from A Certain Trigger, Maxïmo Park tore through the O2 Academy Leeds last night like no time had passed at all.
The Newcastle band delivered a raucous whistle-stop tour through their seminal works, blending jagged indie hooks with hints of art-rock ambition, reminding everyone why they became one of the most vital forces in British music.
Opening with the taut, angular snap of Signal and Sign, the crowd immediately found its footing.
From there, it was a blur of hits and fan favourites: the soaring, almost cinematic sweep of Our Velocity, the bittersweet tension of The Coast Is Always Changing, and the sharp, playful defiance of Favourite Songs, where Smith’s gesture to the crowd made it clear - two decades in, they’re far from slowing down.
Smith remains magnetic at the centre of it all. His moves, sly pivots, sudden leans, a playful swagger, coaxed the audience into every chorus and every lyric. A charismatic frontman, with a voice that delivers every time.
When Versions of You hit, it was tender and reflective; when Apply Some Pressure landed, it was urgent and driving. Every chorus was claimed by the crowd, a living testament to the songs’ enduring power.
A19’ returned to the set after almost ten years, its hometown connection giving it extra resonance.
The rest of the band provide a rock-solid backbone. Duncan Lloyd’s guitar snaps with precision, Archis Tiku and Tom English lock the rhythms, and Jemma Freese’s keys add an energetic, playful vibe.
The arrangements are tight but playful, with subtle twists that make the familiar feel new.
The encore landed with full force, with the audience calling them back to the stage.
The synth-driven textures of Acrobat twisted and shimmered through the venue, strange, urgent, and utterly gripping, Books From Boxes swelled into a collective heartbeat, and Going Missing closed the night with one last roar from the crowd.
Maxïmo Park haven’t just revisited their past; they’ve reaffirmed it.
Twenty years in, still vital, still thrilling, still impossible not to love.