Maxïmo Park
Encyclopedia
Maxïmo Park are a British alternative rock
band, formed in 2000. They are signed to Warp Records
. The band consists of Paul Smith
(vocals), Duncan Lloyd
(guitar), Archis Tiku (bass), Lukas Wooller
(keyboard) and Tom English (drums). The band have released three studio albums: their 2005 debut album A Certain Trigger
, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize
, the 2007 follow-up Our Earthly Pleasures
, and their third album named Quicken the Heart
, was released in May 2009. The first two albums went double platinum.
by guitarist and founding member Duncan Lloyd with bass player Archis Tiku in 2000. They are named after Máximo Gómez
Park (also known as Domino Park), located in Little Havana, Miami . Initially, the four founding members played several small shows including Manchester's 'In the City', which showcases unsigned bands in the UK. In 2003, the band decided they wanted a frontman as original singers Archis and Duncan wanted to focus on writing the songs. The then-girlfriend of drummer Tom English, noticed his friend Paul Smith singing along to Stevie Wonder
's "Superstition
". When Smith was found, the band did not know if he could sing: "When he first joined we didn't know if he could; just that he was a lunatic jumping around in a suit, it felt like the last piece of the jigsaw". With Smith joining the band gave him demos of their songs and from then on started writing as unit.
Around March 2004, a friend funded 300 copies of a 7" red vinyl single (Graffiti
/ Going Missing
) and later released a vinyl of their tracks (The Coast Is Always Changing
) that they recorded in Duncan Lloyd's house in Fenham. After some time of doing gigs around their home town, Steve Beckett of the dance-electronic label Warp Records
got hold of one of these records and decided to sign the band to his label.
, which sold over 300,000 copies and was nominated for the Mercury Prize
in July 2005. In July Maxïmo Park had the honour of being the first band to play the Ibiza Rocks
festival on its opening event.
The band also contributed their song 'Wasteland' to Help!: A Day in the Life.
In August 2006, the band announced that they had started work on their next album, which was produced by Gil Norton
and recorded in London
at Rak Studios in St John's Wood
. On 22 January 2007, the band announced that their second album, Our Earthly Pleasures
, would be released on 2 April 2007 and would be preceded by the album's lead single, "Our Velocity", on 19 March 2007. On 30 January 2007 the band released details of a tour to promote Our Earthly Pleasures, the tickets of which sold out within minutes upon their release on 2 February 2007.
In July 2009, Paul Smith revealed in The Guardian
that they had been writing a lot of material based on obituaries and mentioned a possibility of a compilation CD of songs based on biographical and obituarial content.
with producer Nick Launay
, known for his recent work with Nick Cave
and Grinderman
. On 26 November 2008, it was reported by ClashMusic.com that Smith had announced in a blog posting that the album had been completed, but the producer of the album, Launay, wanted to take "a little break before starting to mix it".
The full track list of the album was announced on 11 March 2009. Quicken the Heart
was released on May 11, with the first single, "The Kids Are Sick Again
" being released a week earlier. Tickets for a tour taking place in May 2009 sold out in record time .
In 2009 they contributed a cover of a Vincent Gallo
song to the Warp20 (Recreated)
compilation, as well as having their song "Acrobat" covered by Seefeel
. In 2010 they performed a new song called "Banlieue", however there has been no news on this song since. In July 2011 it was rumoured on twitter
by the lead singer Paul Smith that Maxïmo Park were writing a new record for 2012. On 24 July 2011 whilst headlining Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae 2011 on Clapham Common Paul Smith announced they were working on a new record for release in 2012. They played a new but unnamed song.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band, formed in 2000. They are signed to Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
. The band consists of Paul Smith
Paul Smith (musician)
Paul Smith is the singer for the British indie rock group, Maxïmo Park.-Biography:...
(vocals), Duncan Lloyd
Duncan Lloyd
Duncan Lloyd is a guitarist, songwriter and backing vocalist for Maxïmo Park. He is also in the experimental band Res Band from Derby.-Biography:...
(guitar), Archis Tiku (bass), Lukas Wooller
Lukas Wooller
Lukas Wooller is the keyboard player and occasional backing vocalist of British indie rock band, Maxïmo Park, based in North-East England.-Biography:...
(keyboard) and Tom English (drums). The band have released three studio albums: their 2005 debut album A Certain Trigger
A Certain Trigger
*Uncut – 3 stars out of 5 – "[T]here's a romantic soul at play. Frontman Paul Smith loves the dejections of the north as much as Jarvis Cocker."*CMJ *Uncut (p. 102) – 3 stars out of 5 – "[T]here's a romantic soul at play. Frontman Paul Smith loves the dejections of the...
, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
, the 2007 follow-up Our Earthly Pleasures
Our Earthly Pleasures
Our Earthly Pleasures is the second album by Newcastle-based Alternative rock band Maxïmo Park. It was released on 2 April 2007 in the UK , being preceded by the single "Our Velocity", released two weeks previously, on 19 March 2007.-Album information:Album details, including track listing, were...
, and their third album named Quicken the Heart
Quicken the Heart
Quicken the Heart is the third studio album by Maxïmo Park. It was released on 11 May 2009. It debuted at #6 on the UK Albums Chart.-Description:...
, was released in May 2009. The first two albums went double platinum.
Formation and early releases (2000–2004)
Maxïmo Park were formed in Tyne and WearTyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
by guitarist and founding member Duncan Lloyd with bass player Archis Tiku in 2000. They are named after Máximo Gómez
Máximo Gómez
Máximo Gómez y Báez was a Major General in the Ten Years' War and Cuba's military commander in that country's War of Independence ....
Park (also known as Domino Park), located in Little Havana, Miami . Initially, the four founding members played several small shows including Manchester's 'In the City', which showcases unsigned bands in the UK. In 2003, the band decided they wanted a frontman as original singers Archis and Duncan wanted to focus on writing the songs. The then-girlfriend of drummer Tom English, noticed his friend Paul Smith singing along to Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's "Superstition
Superstition (song)
"Superstition" is a popular song written, produced, arranged, and performed by Stevie Wonder for Motown Records in 1972, when Wonder was 22 years old. It was the lead single for Wonder's Talking Book album, and released in many countries. It reached number one in the USA, and number one on the soul...
". When Smith was found, the band did not know if he could sing: "When he first joined we didn't know if he could; just that he was a lunatic jumping around in a suit, it felt like the last piece of the jigsaw". With Smith joining the band gave him demos of their songs and from then on started writing as unit.
Around March 2004, a friend funded 300 copies of a 7" red vinyl single (Graffiti
Graffiti (song)
"Graffiti" was the third single released from Maxïmo Park, taken from their debut album A Certain Trigger. It was released on 2 May 2005, and reached number 15 on the UK Singles Chart.-Track listing:* CD1 :...
/ Going Missing
Going Missing
"Going Missing" was the fourth single released from Maxïmo Park, taken from their debut album A Certain Trigger. It was released on July 18, 2005 and reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart...
) and later released a vinyl of their tracks (The Coast Is Always Changing
The Coast Is Always Changing
"The Coast Is Always Changing" was the first single released by Maxïmo Park and features on their debut album A Certain Trigger. It reached number 63 in the UK charts in 2004....
) that they recorded in Duncan Lloyd's house in Fenham. After some time of doing gigs around their home town, Steve Beckett of the dance-electronic label Warp Records
Warp Records
Warp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
got hold of one of these records and decided to sign the band to his label.
A Certain Trigger to Our Earthly Pleasures (2005–2007)
In 2005, Maxïmo Park released their debut album, A Certain TriggerA Certain Trigger
*Uncut – 3 stars out of 5 – "[T]here's a romantic soul at play. Frontman Paul Smith loves the dejections of the north as much as Jarvis Cocker."*CMJ *Uncut (p. 102) – 3 stars out of 5 – "[T]here's a romantic soul at play. Frontman Paul Smith loves the dejections of the...
, which sold over 300,000 copies and was nominated for the Mercury Prize
Mercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
in July 2005. In July Maxïmo Park had the honour of being the first band to play the Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks
Ibiza Rocks is a summer-long festival of live music that has run annually in San Antonio, Ibiza since 2005. Normally the festival consists of seventeen consecutive weekly Wednesday night concerts in the courtyard of the Ibiza Rocks Hotel...
festival on its opening event.
The band also contributed their song 'Wasteland' to Help!: A Day in the Life.
In August 2006, the band announced that they had started work on their next album, which was produced by Gil Norton
Gil Norton
Gil Norton is a British record producer known for his work with such bands as Pixies, Echo & the Bunnymen, Foo Fighters, Tribe, Jimmy Eat World, Dashboard Confessional, Feeder, The Distillers, Maxïmo Park, Counting Crows, Terrorvision, The Triffids, Del Amitri, James, The Feelers, The Beekeepers,...
and recorded in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at Rak Studios in St John's Wood
St John's Wood
St John's Wood is a district of north-west London, England, in the City of Westminster, and at the north-west end of Regent's Park. It is approximately 2.5 miles north-west of Charing Cross. Once part of the Great Middlesex Forest, it was later owned by the Knights of St John of Jerusalem...
. On 22 January 2007, the band announced that their second album, Our Earthly Pleasures
Our Earthly Pleasures
Our Earthly Pleasures is the second album by Newcastle-based Alternative rock band Maxïmo Park. It was released on 2 April 2007 in the UK , being preceded by the single "Our Velocity", released two weeks previously, on 19 March 2007.-Album information:Album details, including track listing, were...
, would be released on 2 April 2007 and would be preceded by the album's lead single, "Our Velocity", on 19 March 2007. On 30 January 2007 the band released details of a tour to promote Our Earthly Pleasures, the tickets of which sold out within minutes upon their release on 2 February 2007.
In July 2009, Paul Smith revealed in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
that they had been writing a lot of material based on obituaries and mentioned a possibility of a compilation CD of songs based on biographical and obituarial content.
Quicken the Heart (2008–2009)
In October 2008, the band announced that they had started recording their third album in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
with producer Nick Launay
Nick Launay
Nick Launay is an English record producer and recording engineer. He is currently one of the most sought after producers in the world due to his current success with recent albums by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Arcade Fire, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds...
, known for his recent work with Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
and Grinderman
Grinderman
Grinderman is an alternative rock band formed by Nick Cave , Warren Ellis , Martyn P. Casey and Jim Sclavunos in London, United Kingdom in 2006...
. On 26 November 2008, it was reported by ClashMusic.com that Smith had announced in a blog posting that the album had been completed, but the producer of the album, Launay, wanted to take "a little break before starting to mix it".
The full track list of the album was announced on 11 March 2009. Quicken the Heart
Quicken the Heart
Quicken the Heart is the third studio album by Maxïmo Park. It was released on 11 May 2009. It debuted at #6 on the UK Albums Chart.-Description:...
was released on May 11, with the first single, "The Kids Are Sick Again
The Kids Are Sick Again
"The Kids Are Sick Again" is a song by Newcastle-upon-Tyne band Maxïmo Park. It is the first single released from their third studio album, Quicken the Heart. The single was released on 4 May 2009. The song entered the UK singles chart at #50....
" being released a week earlier. Tickets for a tour taking place in May 2009 sold out in record time .
In 2009 they contributed a cover of a Vincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo
Vincent Gallo is an Italian-American film director and actor. Though he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies, including Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, did the music for and starred in; The Brown Bunny, which he also...
song to the Warp20 (Recreated)
Warp20 (Recreated)
Warp20 is a compilation album released by Warp Records in 2009. It contains covers of Warp artists, such as Aphex Twin, LFO, Boards of Canada and Grizzly Bear by other Warp artists, such as Plaid, Autechre and Mira Calix.-Track listing:...
compilation, as well as having their song "Acrobat" covered by Seefeel
Seefeel
Seefeel are a British electronic/post-rock band formed in the early 1990s. They are currently signed to Warp Records.-Biography:Seefeel formed during 1992 in London, England; with Mark Clifford on guitar, Mark Van Hoen on bass, Justin Fletcher on drums and Sarah Peacock on vocals and guitar. During...
. In 2010 they performed a new song called "Banlieue", however there has been no news on this song since. In July 2011 it was rumoured on twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
by the lead singer Paul Smith that Maxïmo Park were writing a new record for 2012. On 24 July 2011 whilst headlining Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae 2011 on Clapham Common Paul Smith announced they were working on a new record for release in 2012. They played a new but unnamed song.
Members
- Tom English – drums
- Duncan LloydDuncan LloydDuncan Lloyd is a guitarist, songwriter and backing vocalist for Maxïmo Park. He is also in the experimental band Res Band from Derby.-Biography:...
– guitar - Paul SmithPaul Smith (musician)Paul Smith is the singer for the British indie rock group, Maxïmo Park.-Biography:...
– vocals - Archis Tiku – bass
- Lukas WoollerLukas WoollerLukas Wooller is the keyboard player and occasional backing vocalist of British indie rock band, Maxïmo Park, based in North-East England.-Biography:...
– keyboard
Studio albums
- A Certain TriggerA Certain Trigger*Uncut – 3 stars out of 5 – "[T]here's a romantic soul at play. Frontman Paul Smith loves the dejections of the north as much as Jarvis Cocker."*CMJ *Uncut (p. 102) – 3 stars out of 5 – "[T]here's a romantic soul at play. Frontman Paul Smith loves the dejections of the...
(2005) - Our Earthly PleasuresOur Earthly PleasuresOur Earthly Pleasures is the second album by Newcastle-based Alternative rock band Maxïmo Park. It was released on 2 April 2007 in the UK , being preceded by the single "Our Velocity", released two weeks previously, on 19 March 2007.-Album information:Album details, including track listing, were...
(2007) - Quicken the HeartQuicken the HeartQuicken the Heart is the third studio album by Maxïmo Park. It was released on 11 May 2009. It debuted at #6 on the UK Albums Chart.-Description:...
(2009)