Maxïmo Park Celebrate 20 Years of A Certain Trigger as Art Brut Set the Spark

When a bill pairs two of the most distinctive voices from the mid-2000s indie surge, you expect nostalgia. What unfolded instead was something far more alive.

Art Brut opened the night in typically unpredictable fashion — chaotic, witty, knowingly unpolished and completely in on the joke. From the moment they launched into “Formed a Band”, it was clear this wasn’t about slick execution. It was about character. “My Little Brother” and “Emily Kane” followed with that familiar half-spoken, half-sung urgency, delivered with a loose-limbed confidence that felt refreshingly human.

Their set thrived on momentum over meticulousness. The edges were rough in places, but that’s always been the point. The crowd quickly tuned into their offbeat humour and self-aware theatrics, and by the midpoint, the room was fully warmed — buzzing, smiling, and ready for what came next.

Then it was time for Maxïmo Park — and a celebration of their debut album that still casts a long shadow two decades on. Built around the 20th anniversary of A Certain Trigger, the set never felt like a museum piece. Instead, it played like a reminder of just how sharp those songs remain.

“The Coast Is Always Changing” landed with restless tension, immediately followed by the tightly coiled punch of “Apply Some Pressure”, which sparked one of the biggest reactions of the night. When “Graffiti” rang out, it felt less like a throwback and more like rediscovery — the kind of song that still sounds urgent, still wired with youthful anxiety and possibility.

The pacing was smart. The debut album formed the backbone of the performance, but the band avoided simply running through it on autopilot. Later material like “Our Velocity” and “Books From Boxes” expanded the set’s emotional range without losing propulsion. The transitions were seamless, the dynamics carefully judged.

What stood out most was how comfortable the band looked inside these songs. There was tightness, yes — years of experience evident in every shift and swell — but also genuine enjoyment. Rather than leaning on nostalgia, they seemed to be reconnecting with the spark that made those tracks resonate in the first place.

The pairing worked beautifully. Art Brut’s scrappy irreverence set the stage, while Maxïmo Park sharpened the edges and drove the emotional core. Together, they delivered a night that felt like a celebration of a defining indie era — not as a relic, but as a living, breathing thing.

Twenty years on, those songs still move. And judging by the response in the room, they’re not done yet.

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