18/10/24
View full gallery of 16 photos, taken by Paul JonesFilling the venue right from the moment the doors opened, Norwich had been waiting for Maximo Park to return to Norwich. From my research, it had been a decade since the group last visited the city, something which singer Paul Smith said he implored their management to change, with the overall atmosphere of the evening being a testament to just how much we had missed them.
Opening the night, singer songwriter Melanie Baker and her ensemble from Newcastle graced the stage. Known for her candid lyricism, Baker’s performance somewhat surprised me. Despite giving forewarning to the crowd about some of her more downbeat songs, Baker’s group delivered a high tempo set, with their angular guitar riffs aligning themselves with the group they were supporting. Visiting Norwich for the first time, Baker was met with laughs when asking for fun facts about the city, which I hope were replaced with genuine recommendations after her set while selling her merch to the concert goers.
Baker’s charm certainly won over less attentive audience members, who were captivated by her introduction to one of her mid-set songs. Describing how a lot of concert attendees had come up to her and said they deeply related to the song’s content, we were led to believe a song about deep hardship was incoming, only for Baker to reveal the inspiration was finding slugs in one of her cupboards. This anecdotal tone helped ramp up the energy towards the end of the set, with the slick younger group thanking the crowd for the opportunity. Baker has a hectic month, supporting at least four other artists across the country this October, and with the build of ‘All My Plants Have Died’, with the crowd shouting along ‘I’ll never have to worry’, I don’t doubt the other bands she’s supporting will be lucky to have her along for the ride.
Then came Maximo Park, with Paul Smith and his grinning ensemble taking the stage. As mentioned, it had been a long time coming, and there was a notable surge in the crowd when the headliner appeared. Kicking off with ‘Your Own Worst Enemy’, Smith was straining a little to reach the high note in the chorus, but soon warmed up to it. Despite somehow coming to stand behind one of the tallest people in the venue, I still managed to see the energetic singer jumping up and down in his fedora at the front of the stage. This eccentric performance style was easy to get behind as Smith just seemed to be enjoying himself so much. The height of these disjointed dancing came in ‘Hips and Lips’, where Smith swung his lower arm like a pendulum, leaning from side to side with each drumbeat.
As well as giving a lot through his physical performance, Smith spoke to the crowd between every song, explaining the stories and themes behind every track. This attention to detail is something that draws in a lot of fans of the band, as their lyricism is so thoughtful and oriented around the smallest of feelings towards the tiniest of actions. They played their track ‘Parisian Skies’ from ‘Our Earthly Pleasures’, a personal favourite that I feel sums up their meticulous attention to minute acts of love; ‘I love the tiny veins on your back, they remind me of the way the porcelain cracks’.
It was certainly some of these earlier tracks, from what Smith described as the ‘middle ages’ of the ‘indie rock wars’, that went down the best, however their newer tracks were delivered to equally high quality. Jemma Freese is excellent on keys and backing vocals, providing beautiful harmonies that lifted the overall performance, and her energy was unmatched; despite Smith’s hypnotic movements centre stage, it was impossible not to be drawn in by Freese’s infectious delivery. There were moments when the group dialled back however, with Smith noting the use of an acoustic guitar in ‘Armchair View’ being a rarity for the band. These softer moments were delivered with the same enthusiasm and charisma as the others, and the group did not lose an ounce of momentum throughout the whole night.
Smith talked about how earlier in the day he had strolled the streets of Norwich and had stuck his head into many an old bookshop, coming to the consensus that we were a well-read city. This was by no means a segway into the band’s popular song, ‘Books from Boxes, as this was yet to come, but left room for Smith to explain some literary influences over the new album. His speeches never lost the crowd, and often warmed them up for more emotional performances, such as ‘Leave This Island’, where I could see many were moved. The final string of Maximo Park classics saw long-held applause for the group, playing out with ‘Graffiti’ the crowd were singing along until the very end. The group seemed as astounded by their dedicated crowd as I was by their attentive and enthused performance, as they promised they wouldn’t wait so long next time to visit our fine city.
The gallery can be found here https://www.outlineonline.co.uk/#&gid=10420&pid=671159db8437077b16a37722