maximo park at casbah

we saw maximo park at the casbah last night and it was a great show, for what i saw of it. with two opening acts we figured (ok, our friend who used to play there figured) they wouldn't start until midnight. so we rolled in after a fun late dinner at starlite lounge and after one song i heard the singer say, "we'll play another song or two for you". wtf? on our way in, whey i asked how long they'd been playing, the guy at the door said "15 minutes" (admittedly, a smart thing to say). oh well, it was probably for the best, given that i dragged jay and david to the show.

they did play several more songs, and a couple for the encore. the band put on a very energetic show - the lead singer made the most of the small stage and the crowd was singing along with many songs. highlights included "apply some pressure", and the encores, "sandblasted and set free" and "graffiti". i'd read that they had a rep for being really good live, and they delivered with very tight playing; Paul Smith's vocals were surprisingly clear and robust for the last night of a tour. plus, the volume level was about perfect and i was impressed with the overall mix. i'll have to check them out next time they're in town, and be sure to catch the whole set.