02institute

Words by Ed King / Pics by Ed Taylor

On Friday 5^th May, Maxïmo Park will be playing at the 02 Institute. Doors open from 7pm, with tickets priced at £20.50 + booking fee – as presented by SJM Concerts. Minimum age for entry is 14.

N.B. At the time of writing this gig has been ‘Sold Out’, so check with reputable ticket providers for spares and returns. For direct gig info, click here.

Maxïmo Park will be playing further UK dates in Newcastle (6^th May), Aberdeen (8^th May), Glasgow (9^th May), Sheffield (10^th May), London (12^th May), Bexhill-on-Sea (13^th May), Cambridge (15^th May), Cardiff (16^th May), Falmouth (17^th May), Manchester (19^th May), Margate (27^th May). For direct tour details, including online ticket sales, click here.

Maxïmo Park will be back in Birmingham on Saturday 16^th September – co-headling the main stage at the Beyond the Tracks festival on Eastside Park, Birmingham City Centre. For direct festival info, click here.

Schlepping up, down and around the UK, Maxïmo Park are on the headline trial with their new album, Risk to Exist – released on 24^th April through Cooking Vinyl. To read the Birmingham Review of Risk to Exist, from Damien Russell, click here.

Named after a park dedicated to the Cuban Generalisimo Máximo Gómez – a key military figure in Cuba’s war of independence – Maxïmo Park have never been too far away from the murky world of socio-political-meets-pop-rock.

And whilst the-man-in-the-hat, Paul Smith (not that kind of hat, not that Paul Smith), was once quoted as saying ‘I think it’s people who change the world but music can influence people’, Maxïmo Park have arguably used their sixteen years of creative endevours to do just that. Plus they’ve made their own beer. So, on the road during the UK’s local elections and campaign trails for the general… that’s going to be some green room to tidy.

But with a front man you’d rip your granny’s teeth out to get, Maxïmo Park also have a reputation for pretty electrifying stage shows, no matter what your political leanings. Expect strutting, jumping, the occasional strobe, and the band’s name (sometimes literally) up in lights somewhere. And with a new album to hock at the merch stand I wouldn’t expect too many pulled punches, even with two fingers extended in the face of totalitarian capitalism.

Birmingham Review last saw Maxïmo Park, again at the 02 Institute, in December 2015 – click here to read Helen Knott’s Birmingham Review of the gig.

‘Risk to Exist’ – Maxïmo Park

Risk to Exist by Maxïmo Park is out on general release from 21^st April, via Cooking Vinyl. For more on Maxïmo Park, visit www.maximopark.com

For more on Maxïmo Park at the O2 Institute, including venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham/events/928783/maximo-park-tickets

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For more from the O2 Institute, including full venue details and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham

For more from SJM Concerts/Gigs and Tours, visit www.gigsandtours.com

Ed’s note… On 18^th November, Public Image Limited (PiL) came back to Birmingham – playing to a pretty full Friday house at the O2 Institute. The last time BR covered PiL was at the O2 Academy in Oct 2013 and we were short a photographer. But thanks to some string pulling from the promotional powers that be… another bucket list tick.

Michelle Martin was at the O2 Institute on Fri 18^th November to scoop up some words & pics for THE GALLERY. Viddy below my droog, the bratchny maslo king of punk returns.

Words & pics by Michelle Martin

Cognac, crumpets and a banana. Just your typical Public Image Ltd show.

The occasional sip on his bottle of Cognac, aptly labeled ‘Piss’, kept Public Image Ltd front man John Lydon soldiering through the show.

Public Image Ltd (PiL) are currently on a European tour, 37 years after the release of their album Metal Box – back in Birmingham before they finish off at the Sinner’s Day Festival in Belgium.

PiL have been running since that other band spilt up in 1978, with Lydon enlisting Keith Levine from The Clash, Jah Wobble and Jim Walker to record and release their debut album Public Image: First Issue in the same year.

John Lydon has been the sole constant member of PiL ever since, with Lu Edmonds, Scott Firth and Bruce Smith making up the remainder of the line-up today.

Soon after PiL took to the stage, cups went flying six feet in the air. Even behind the safety of a photo pit barrier I suffered from these throwing sessions, before I had a chance to shoot anything.

One fan in the audience really stood out; I think he’d pulled a Marty McFly. He looked like he stepped right out of the 70’s punk scene, with a classic Sex Pistols tour shirt, an overused battle vest, bright neon rave glasses and a hairstyle that a cockatoo would be jealous of.

But it was a refreshing sight to see no-one with a phone held up wanting to document the show, as usually happens at shows with an audience below the average age of 25.

The gig was nostalgic, in all its punk glory and beyond; John Lydon is an exceptional performer – marching with a ferocious energy throughout the show. I was watching something I’d remember and may not see again. I was also constantly laughing at his facial expressions; contorted and relentless. A separate gallery could be dedicated just to Mr Lydon’s awesome face.

Age clearly hasn’t stopped the man from doing just what he enjoys.

Public Image Limited @ O2 Institute 18.11.16

‘Something Big is Coming’ from PiL on Monday 28^th November, but that’s all we know. For more on Public Image Limited, visit www.pilofficial.com

For more from the O2 Institute, including full gig listings and online ticket sales, visit www.academymusicgroup.com/o2institutebirmingham

Tag: 02institute

BPREVIEW: Maxïmo Park @ O2 Institute 05.05.17

THE GALLERY: Public Image Ltd @ O2 Institute 18.11.16