Maxïmo Park at O2 Brixton Academy ‘A Certain Trigger’ still hits with urgency, 20 years on
- Alan Bryce
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
O2 Academy Brixton - 14th February 2026
WORDS / IMAGES ALAN BRYCE
Two decades on from A Certain Trigger, Maximo Park are still moving like a band with something to prove. Returning to O2 Brixton Academy for the London stop of their 20th anniversary tour, the Newcastle outfit delivered a set that was part victory lap, part emotional reckoning — and entirely convincing.
Released in 2005, A Certain Trigger didn’t just soundtrack a generation of skinny-jeaned indie obsessives; it helped define an era. Tonight, that legacy feels alive rather than embalmed. it’s a band reminding you why these songs mattered in the first place.
Support came from Art Brut, whose return to the Maximo Park orbit felt deliberate and deeply affectionate. Touring together two decades ago, their reunion carried a sense of full-circle symmetry. Eddie Argos’ arch, half-spoken delivery and garage-rock snap still land sharply, with ‘Formed a Band’, ‘Modern Art’ and ‘Emily Kane’ rattling through Brixton like indie canon performed with a knowing wink. Loose but locked-in, they warmed the room perfectly.
Art Brut – Set List
Formed a Band
My Little Brother
She Kissed Me (And it felt like a Hit)
Pump Up the Volume
Modern Art
Unprofessional Wrestling
Emily Kane
Wham! Bang! Pow! Let’s Rock Out!
Then came the main event. Frontman Paul Smith exploded onto the stage, all restless limbs and laser focus, immediately commanding the crowd. His kinetic presence remains one of the band’s greatest weapons — strutting, pacing, leaning into the front rows as if the songs were still being written in real time.
Joined by original members Duncan Lloyd and Tom English, alongside long-term collaborators Jemma Freese and Andrew Lowther, Maximo Park sounded tight, punchy. Smith’s between-song reflections on the tour’s significance were heartfelt without tipping into sentimentality — gratitude delivered with grit.
The 21-song set leaned heavily (and rightly) on A Certain Trigger, opening with ‘Signal and Sign’ and ‘Graffiti’ — a one-two punch that immediately turned Brixton into a mass singalong. It barely relented from there. ‘Our Velocity’, ‘A19’ and ‘The National Health’ landed like old friends, their choruses swelling into choir-like moments of communal release.
The encore offered contrast. ‘Acrobat’ stripped things back, letting tenderness and restraint seep in before ‘Going Missing’ detonated the room entirely — a cathartic, sweat-soaked finale that felt less like a goodbye and more like a shared exhale.
What stood out most was the crowd: euphoric, loyal, and loud enough to rival the PA. These songs still resonate because they’re built on urgency, insecurity, and movement — emotions that refuse to age quietly.
This wasn’t just an anniversary show. It was a reminder. Of a time when indie bands chased momentum instead of metrics — and of a band that never forgot how to mean it. Maximo Park don’t just survive their legacy; they sharpen it.
Maximo Park – Set List
-Signal and Sign
-Graffiti
-Postcard of a Painting
Our Velocity
Leave This Island
-The Coast Is Always Changing
-The Night I Lost My Head
A19
Karaoke Plays
-Now I'm All Over the Shop
Favourite Songs
-I Want You to Stay
Versions of You
The National Health
Girls Who Play Guitars
-Kiss You Better
-Limassol
-Apply Some Pressure
Encore:
-Acrobat
Books From Boxes
-Going Missing
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thank you for this sparkling review.