Maximo Park continue their much-anticipated tour around Europe and Australia, celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album A Certain Trigger.

The night at the O2 Academy in Oxford kicked off with indie rock band Art Brut, entertaining the audience with their energetic sound and humorous lyrics. Then, excitement built throughout the venue until Maximo Park started their set off strongly with Signal and Sign, the fast-paced opening track from their debut album, followed by Graffiti and Postcard of a Painting, two catchy tunes that had fans singing along straight away.

To the audience’s delight, the band performed A Certain Trigger in its entirety, showing that the record is still loved just as much two decades after its release. They played fan favourite hits from all their albums, such as Our Velocity and Girls Who Play Guitar, as well as some more obscure tracks like Fear of Falling, which charismatic front man Paul Smith (who can still somehow perform his signature scissor kick) said the band hadn’t performed in 20 years!

The group ended what had been a wild night with their most popular hit and my favourite of their songs, Apply Some Pressure, leaving not a single still body in the crowd. But no, there was more! After letting the audience chant “one more song!” for too long, the band reentered the stage to rapturous applause and performed not one, not two, but three final songs! After shouting along to Acrobat, Books From Boxes, and Going Missing, I think it’s safe to say every fan left with a smile on their face. If you get the chance to see Maximo Park on this tour, go for it! It will be an experience you won’t forget.

words & photos by Rose Newmark