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Maximo Park @ El Rey Theatre - 7/27/07
I'll admit that before Friday night's show I was not too famliar with Maximo Park. I had their first album A Certain Trigger but never gave it a proper listen ( which in the past two days I have and love it) but after Friday night I have been listening to not only Trigger but their just released Our Earthly Pleasures which is now one of my top albums of the year.
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All that aside, Maximo Park put on one of the most entertaining shows I have seen this year. Their catchy post-punk, new wave blend is frenetic and frenzied in its pace and while the album does capture this energy it is the live experience that brings this energy out. I had heard much praise for their live show and I was most certainly not disappointed. Shooting this band was one of the most enjoyable experiences as a photographer as well.
Lead singer Paul Smith's shirt was a perfect indicator of the energy that he brought out. Stay with me here... the shirt was your simple black button up and slowly became more and more drenched with sweat as he jumped and danced his ass off and by the end it was a shiny sweat drenched black button up. It is no doubt that he is the energy of this band. As a concert photographer you love performers like Smith, he never let up and was always into his music. You have to appreciate any act that is going to leave it all on the stage at a performance, and Maximo Park most certainly did. I love seeing a show and leaving wanting to hear more and more of an artist. As I said I had not listened to Maximo Park that closely but that all changed Friday Night.
More pics and this Flickr Photoset
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