Maximo Park

Maximo Park (formed 2000)

Maximo Park is a Tyne and Wear-based alternative rock band, signed to Warp Records. The line-up of the band consists of Paul Smith on vocals, Duncan Lloyd on guitar, Lukas Wooller on keyboard, Archus Tiku on bass and Tom English on drums. Both of their albums have achieved double-platinum status and their debut album was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize in 2005.

Maximo Park: Formation

In 2000, Maximo Park formed, taking their name from Maximo Gomez Park in Cuba. In the early months of their inception, the band played a number of small shows in and around their home town, as well as an 'In the City' industry showcase in Manchester.

Originally, Archis and Duncan were the vocalists for the band but they decided that they wanted to recruit a singer so that they could concentrate on writing the songs. Smith was a friend of Tom English's and it was Tom's girlfriend that first spotted Paul singing along to 'Superstition' by Stevie Wonder and suggested that he joined the band.

In March 2004, Maximo Park released a limited edition "7 single, 'Graffiti' that was funded by a friend. They later released a number of home recorded tracks onto vinyl. One of these records made its way into the hands of Steve Beckett, of Warp Records, who promptly signed the band.

Maximo Park's debut album, A Certain Trigger was released in 2005 and sold over 300,000 copies. The album was also nominated for that year's Mercury Music Prize. Musically, Maximo Park are often compared to another band from the North-East, The Futureheads.

In August the next year, Maximo Park began recording their next album, which was produced by Gil Norton. Norton had previously worked with the likes of Throwing Muses, The Pixies, Foo Fighters and Patti Smith. The album was recorded in London. Entitled Our Earthly Pleasures, it was released in April 2007. The lead single from the album was 'Our Velocity'.

In October 2008, Maximo Park released a statement saying that they had started work in Los Angeles on their new album. This time, they had Nick Launay on board as producer. Launay was known for his work with Grinderman, Nick Cave, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Arcade Fire.

Quicken the Heart was released in May 2009. The lead single from the album was 'The 'Kids Are Sick Again'.