Maximo effect

MAXIMO PARK, Barrowland, Glasgow

GAZING in a mirror backstage at Top Of The Pops a few years ago, Liam Gallagher found himself standing next to Paul Smith.

"You're that geezer from Maxïmo ain't you?" he chirped.

What followed was a brief chat about rock'n'roll hairstyles. But Liam might have been better off talking a bit of shop.

A few shared trade secrets could have worked wonders - because after this explosive show there can be no doubt that Geordie Smith is Britain's BEST frontman.

From the moment the Park piledrive into the drilling punk rock of opener A19, it's almost impossible to tear your eyes away from the singer.

His magnetic stage presence - whether he's leaping on top of monitors, doing a bit of grievous with a megaphone or simply urging the audience to get even louder - is up there with the all-time greats.

It doesn't hurt that, behind him, is a band who match The Clash at the peak of their White Riot tour best for the sheer ferocity of their energy levels.

As they tear through Wraithlike, Questing Not Coasting and a sensational Apply Some Pressure, they ratchet up the thrills with dizzying intensity - a flurry of crunching guitar riffs, belting drums and Lukas Wooller's warping synths.

Naturally, the set is heavy on songs from the new Quicken The Heart album - including A Cloud Of Mystery, which turns out to be something of a stonking live anthem.

And as ever with Maxïmo, every chord change, bridge and chorus is played like it's their last.

But when you've got one of the world's most enthralling live acts, it seems senseless to wheel out a brass section - even if it is only for five songs.

Adding their pointless parping to great songs like The Kids Are Sick Again is a bit like adding tap water to champagne.

And when you've got a Barrowland crowd fired up for action, delivering an acoustic version of one of your biggest hits - in this case Going Missing - feels a bit like cheating.

Luckily Maxïmo have enough in reserve to make such quibbles seem minor. Thundering versions of The Coast Is Always Changing and Our Velocity remind us the Park are as vital as ever.

TIM BARR

BLOC PARTY, Alhambra, Dunfermline

"DO you feel like dancing?" grins Kele Okereke as his band strike up the opening chords of One More Chance.

As it turns out, he's got a pretty good idea of the answer because most of this audience - who seem to be aiming to give Glasgow's Barrowland a run for its money in the most up-for-it crowd stakes - have been moshing frantically throughout this explosive set.

Opening with a scene-setting Halo, the London indie favourites turn in a fast-paced and energetic performance. Mercury is an early highlight, with Kele kneeling at the front of the stage to shake hands with the fans.

"We went to Pittencrieff Park and we saw live peacocks walking around," he tells them as the wiry guitar lines of Zephyrus crank out.

The notion of Bloc Party as nature-loving birdwatchers doesn't quite fit with the furious guitar-driven noise blasting from the stage.

And if reports of the band's impending lay-off are true, it seems they're determined to give this crowd something to remember them by. When the opening bars of Helicopter ring out, the reaction is INCREDIBLE. For the encore, a second drum kit appears and bassist Gordon Moakes joins Matt Tong to hammer out the rhythm for Sunday. They close with Flux and Kele insists: "This has been our favourite Scottish show - and that's saying something." He's not wrong.

STANA CEPKOVA

THE TWANG, Fat Sam's, Dundee

ON their game, there are few bands that can match the raucous, rowdy, havin' it swagger of a Twang live show.

Last time around, armed with anthems like Wide Awake and Either Way, they were responsible for some of the most explosive gigs since Oasis played the club circuit.

Now they're able to draw on material from their brilliant new Jewellery Quarter album, they've added depth as well as strength.

Tonight, cracking tunes like the tear-stained anthem Barney Rubble, the heart-tugging Another Bus and new single Encouraging Sign are a reminder that, alongside the lairy laddishness, The Twang also have a flair for crafting beautifully melodic pop songs.

Frontman Phil Etheridge is on top form, while his partner in crime - and general vibe merchant - Martin Saunders hypes up the enthusiastic crowd.

Throughout the set, they look like they're having the time of their life. But it's the sensational encore that really seems to shake the place into a frenzy. The Neighbour followed by trademark set closer Cloudy Room gets pretty much the whole venue imitating Saunders' ecstatic shapes. It's top stuff and then some.

DAVID BARR

PIXIES, SECC, Glasgow

TWO decades since the release of their groundbreaking Doolittle album, the Boston alt.rock legends are in town to revisit it in full.

They opt to open the set with obscure b-sides Dancing The Manta Ray, Weird At My School and Bailey's Walk but things really kick off as soon as frontman Black Francis (right) cranks out the opening chords of the classic Debaser.

The crowd surges forward and - blam! - the full-on Doolittle experience begins. Monkey Gone To Heaven is an early highlight, its drilling bassline and keening guitar riff swelling to fill the arena. Meanwhile bassist Kim Deal keeps us updated: "That's us on side two now," she deadpans.

The songs pass in a blur - No13 Baby, There Goes My Gun - a rush of crunching drums and guitars. And all of a sudden we're at the end of Gouge Away and they're laying their instruments down. "Last time we were here in '91 the stage buckled after three songs," beams Kim. "So you can tell your parents we came back and played a full set."

ANDREW CURRIE

TURIN BREAKS, Ironworks, Inverness

AFTER a sensational show at Stornoway's Woodland Centre the previous night, stormy weather and delayed ferries from the Isle Of Lewis mean the London duo have a mad dash across land and sea to make their gig in the Highland capital.

But despite the fact they've raced into the venue just minutes before this special acoustic set is due to begin, Olly Knights and partner Gale Paridjanian seem remarkably unflustered by the drama. Instead they take the stage and wow the crowd with rivetting versions of Dark On Fire, Last Chance and the classic Painkiller.

It's incredible stuff but there's more besides in the shape of a few sneak previews of material from their as-yet-untitled fifth album, which is due out next March. Paper Heart is stately and typically moody whilst Still The Future combines slick guitar work with great harmonies. Sea Change is an altogether faster affair.

All in all this superb show is proof that, after a spell in the wilderrness they're back with a vengeance.

PAUL CAMPBELL

THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND, Room At The Top, Bathgate

WITH this headline show billed as "Bathgate's biggest-ever gig", the Leeds indie rockers seem determined to live up to occasion.

They rocket into opener Wake Up, delivering a barrage of pounding indie, funk amd dance rhythms as they power through a set mixing the best moments from their excellent Raise The Alarm album with excerpts from the soon-to-be-released follow-up Nobody's Coming To Save You.

The more thought-out new tracks like Your Friends or Coming Home don't have the same headlong rush of first album favourites like Commercial Breakdown or Borders but they promise a lot for the new record. And with standouts like The Way It Is and Put You In Your Place, they look set to shine for some time to come.

JOE MILLER

This article has 0 comments