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Maximo Park, the angular New Wave rockers from Newcastle, England, return to the U.S. on September 8th for another tour in support of their debut, A Certain Trigger, which has already produced three Top Twenty U.K. hits. The five-piece will mix a handful of solo dates with a support slot on a trek by New Yorkers the Bravery, who they recently bonded with over beers and song-belting in Japan.
"We did some karaoke with them in Tokyo," recalls Maximo keyboardist Lukas Wooller. "Their drummer [Anthony Burulcich] started to get into it with our singer Paul [Smith]. They did Bon Jovi, with Anthony on all the high bits -- he was down on his knees, singing into Paul's crotch almost. I was well impressed! They also did a Killers song, and I thought, 'These guys have got a good sense of humor.'"
Before they head out for the tour opener, at Los Angeles' Troubadour, Maximo Park will return home to polish off a host of new songs to test on the road. One of these tunes, "Wasteland," will be recorded to appear on War Child's Help: A Day in the Life benefit compilation. The U.K. organization raises funds to help children in war-torn areas, and the CD -- due September 9th and also featuring original tracks from Radiohead, Gorillaz and Bloc Party -- will benefit outreach in Afghanistan and Iraq. "The song's basically about lost, disenfranchised youth and trying to get your idols back from the TV," says Wooller. "We're really honored to be a part of it, to do something worthwhile with our music."
Maximo Park North American tour dates:
9/8: Los Angeles, Troubadour
9/11: Vancouver, Richard's on Richards
9/12: Seattle, Showbox
9/13: Portland, OR, Roseland Theater
9/15: San Francisco, Fillmore
9/16: Santa Ana, CA, Galaxy
9/18: San Diego, SDSU Open Air Theatre
9/21: Tulsa, OK, Cain's Ballroom
9/22: Fayetteville, AR, University of Arkansas
9/23: Dallas, Trees
9/25: New York, Bowery Ballroom