Bonus songs include a cover version of The Proclaimers ‘500 Miles’ & another in the obituaries series ‘Don McPhee’

Maxïmo Park release a new single, taken from their Number Two debuting album Our Earthly Pleasures, through Warp Records on Monday 11th June. Books From Boxes is the follow-up to the Top Ten smash Our Velocity. As a special treat the bonus songs include a cover version of The Proclaimers hardy perennial, 500 Miles.

500 Miles was recorded for Jo Whilley’s Live Lounge and when it was originally aired, earlier this month, lit-up Radio One’s switchboard with requests to have the song released. Also featured as a B,side is another song in the bands continuing series of obituaries. This time it’s famous Guardian photographer Don McPhee, Our Velocity included Robert Altman and Mary O’Brien as bonus tracks.

Of the obituaries, singer Paul Smith says “I wrote the lyrics for a song about Mary O’Brien, Dusty Springfield’s real name, after reading her obituary. I discovered I was interested in reading obituaries as they can be such a great celebration of a persons life, also it became a way for me to write about other people.” Guitarist Duncan Lloyd adds ” I had some folk inspired music that Paul put his lyrics to and we recorded them at home so as to make them as simple as possible and expose the most natural aspect of what we do. These obituary songs are probably the most thoughtful set of songs we have written to date.”

Having just returned from a triumphant, sold-out, European tour, the band are currently on a tour in the Uk. The remaining headlines dates and festival appearances during the summer are:

May
Tue 1st Southampton Guildhall
Wed 2nd Norwich UEA
Thu 3rd Birmingham Carling Academy
Sat 5th Glasgow Barrowlands
Sun 6th Aberdeen Music Hall
Mon 7th Sunderland Manor Quay
Tue 8th Newcastle Northumbria Uni Stage 1
Thu 10th London Astoria
Fr 11th London Shepherds Bush Empire
Sat 12th London Forum
Mon 28th Newcastle Evolution Festival FREE

July
Sat 7th Ireland Oxegen Festival
Sun 8th Scotland T In The Park

August
24th Reading Festival
25th Leeds Festival

Maxïmo Park will also be playing the following festivals in Europe & Japan:
1st June Primavera - Barcelona
2nd June Rock Im Park - Nuremberg
3rd June Rock Am Ring - Adenau
4th July Super Bock Super Rock - Lisbon
11th August Summer Sonic - Tokyo
12th August Summer Sonic - Osaka.

Already certified Gold in the UK Our Earthly Pleasures was produced by Gil Norton (Pixies / Foo Fighters) and recorded at RAK studios in St Johns Wood during September and October 2006.

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Carling have 14 tickets up for grabs to see Maximo Park’s sold out dates at Carling Academy Birmingham, Bristol and Shepherds Bush Empire, plus a chance to see Manic Street Preachers at Carling Academy Newcastle!  If that wasn’t enough you can win tickets to see Klaxons - 38 tickets to giveaway for their dates at Carling Academy Glasgow, Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Shepherds Bush Empire!

All these shows are now sold out this could be the last chance for you to get hold of tickets. Go to and sign up at  www.carling.com/members to find out more!

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The North East’s largest music festival, Evolution will be featuring the best of unsigned North-east talent as part of its prestigious line up.

One of the few UK music festivals of it’s size to actively support new talent, Evolution 07 will see local North East bands such as The People of Santiago, The Wooden Spoons, The Chapman Family, Sefelt, Nachmi, and Moira Stewart perform alongside the likes of headliners, and local boys done good, Maximo Park who have recently sold out their UK tour

The new artists take to the stage thanks to regional music support organisation Generator, which run the ‘Spearhead’ programme as a platform for emerging artists to showcase their musical talent.

To scout the very best of new music, Spearhead programme co-ordinators contact venue managers, promoters, journalists and industry professionals to put forward their recommendations for artists to perform at Evolution Festival.

The recommendation and selection process begins with artists submitting their demo and biography to the programme following a call out. Subsequently a panel is formed using industry representatives who look at the recommendations and make their final decision.

Jo Thornton, Project Co-ordinator for Spearhead comments: “Spearhead provides a platform for the North’s unsigned bands and generates exposure for their music. Being part of a prestigious festival like Evolution helps build audiences for this exciting new music and gives the festival itself an edge that others lack.

“The six bands taking part in Evolution festival have been earmarked as the most exciting and talented artists in the area. True to Evolution’s style, the Spearhead events offer an eclectic mix of music, providing something for everyone.”

As part of Evolution Festival’s indoor programme, the Spearhead events take place on Sunday 20th of May at the Cluny, Byker  between 8pm-11pm and Saturday 26th of May at Carling Academy 2 between 7pm-10pm. Entry is free (£1 charitable donation to Water Aid).

Now in its sixth year, Evolution is the first major UK music festival of the year and forms part of NewcastleGateshead’s world-class programme of festivals and events for 2007.

Spearhead has played a major role in the success of a number of noteworthy bands including Evolution 07’s headline act Maximo Park. Other artists that have participated in the programme and have since received record deals include Kubichek!, Sound Explosion, Indigo Colony and Seven Seals.

Keep checking www.NewcastleGateshead.com for the latest news on Evolution 07.

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Maximo Park last night announced they will be headlining the first major UK festival of the year, Evolution 07, taking place at Newcastle Gateshead’s Quayside this May.

Evolution 07 will mark a massive free homecoming gig for the band, following an already sold-out UK tour. And singer Paul Smith last night announced to avid fans at a gig in their hometown of Newcastle, that the band would be top of the bill at the event.

Singer Paul Smith said of the festival, “We’re really pleased to be headlining this year’s Evolution Festival, playing on our home turf to fans that have supported us from the outset is always a pleasure”.

The North-East England quintet will be showcasing tracks from their second album, Our Earthly Pleasures due for release on April 2nd, which Smith has described as a hybrid between ‘Smashing Pumpkins and The Smiths’. The album is preceded by new single “Our Velocity” on 19th March.

Last year Evolution rocked to 40,000 music lovers boasting one of the most eclectic line-ups on the festival circuit and promises this year will only be bigger and better.

Evolution is a unique urban music festival staged at outdoor and indoor venues across NewcastleGateshead including; The Sage Gateshead, Newcastle Carling Academy, Digital and The Cluny. The eight day festival culminates in an outdoor major dance event in Baltic Square and a free music extravaganza, Freevolution.

Catch Maximo Park at free outdoor event Freevolution, the North of England’s biggest music festival, on Bank Holiday Monday 28th May 2007.

Watch this space for further Evolution 07 line-up big name announcements…

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Maxïmo Park announce a sixteen-date UK tour for April and May, which culminates with three shows in three different venues in London on May 10th (Astoria), 11th (Shepherds Bush Empire) & 12th (Forum). The dates are:

April
Mon 23rd Cardiff University £13.50
Tue 24th Leeds University £13.50
Wed 25th Nottingham Rock City £13.50
Thu 26th Manchester Ritz £13.50
Fri 27th Liverpool University £13.50
Mon 30th Bristol Carling Academy £13.50

May
Tue 1st Southampton Guildhall £13.50
Wed 2nd Norwich UEA £13.50
Thu 3rd Birmingham Carling Academy £13.50
Sat 5th Glasgow Barrowlands £13.50
Sun 6th Aberdeen Music Hall £13.50
Mon 7th Sunderland Manor Quay £13.50
Tue 8th Newcastle Northumbria Uni Stage 1 £13.50
Thu 10th London Astoria £15.00
Fr 11th London Shepherds Bush Empire £15.00
Sat 12th London Forum £15.00

Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 2nd February.

Support comes from Art Brut except for the London Forum Show on the 12th of May where the support is Long Blondes.

As previously announced the band release their eagerly awaited second album Our Earthly Pleasures through Warp Records on Monday 2nd April. A single Our Velocity is released two weeks earlier on March 19th.

Our Earthly Pleasures was produced by Gil Norton (Pixies / Foo Fighters) and recorded at RAK studios in St Johns Wood during September and October 2006.

Our Earthly Pleasures is the follow-up to Maxïmo Park’s Nationwide Mercury Prize nominated debut album, A Certain Trigger, which delivered four Top Twenty singles including Apply Some Pressure, Graffiti and Going Missing.

Maxïmo Park also headline the Shockwaves NME Awards show on Wednesday 21st February at London’s Astoria, which sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale.

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New album: Our Earthly Pleasures (April 2nd)
Single: Our Velocity (March 19th)

Maxïmo Park release their eagerly awaited second album Our Earthly Pleasures through Warp Records on Monday 2nd April. A single Our Velocity is released two weeks earlier on March 19th.

Our Earthly Pleasures was produced by Gil Norton (Pixies / Foo Fighters) and recorded at RAK studios in St Johns Wood during September and October 2006.

Vocalist Paul Smith adds: “Thanks to two years of touring the world and with the contribution of Gil Norton, Our Earthly Pleasures is a heavy, eye-opening record. It’s rock music without the clichés, dealing with the world on an emotional level. Ultimately we want to reach as many people as possible because we feel this record has the ability to inspire and affect people.”

The full tracklisting for the album is:

1. Girls Who Play Guitars
2. Our Velocity
3. Books From Boxes
4. Russian Literature
5. Karaoke Plays
6. Your Urge
7. The Unshockable
8. By The Monument
9. Nosebleed
10. A Fortnight’s Time
11. Sandblasted And Set Free
12. Parisian Skies

Our Earthly Pleasures is the follow-up to Maxïmo Park’s Nationwide Mercury Prize nominated debut album, A Certain Trigger, which delivered four Top Twenty singles including Apply Some Pressure, Graffiti and Going Missing.

2006 was a very busy year for Maxïmo Park: they headlined the NME Awards Tour, headlined the NME/Radio One stage at the Reading & Leeds Festivals, supported the Rolling Stones in Europe, released a DVD Found On Film, headlined a UK tour in September/October and toured China in December.

2007 kicked off with three intimate hometown shows in Newcastle last week, this week the band play Moscow and Istanbul on the 25th and 27th January, respectively, before headlining the Shockwaves NME Awards show on Wednesday 21st February at London’s Astoria, which sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale. More UK dates will be announced shortly.

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MAXÏMO PARK are bringing in the new year with three January hometown shows* in the venues where it all started. Having not played Tyneside for nearly a year, the band will be giving their local fans a chance to be the first to hear tracks from their forthcoming album. Support comes from Maxïmo Park’s favourite unsigned bands from the region: Les Cox (Sportifs), B>E>A>K and Chippewa Falls.

Tickets for each show will be available in person ONLY from a selected local independent record shop from 10AM on Saturday 13 January. They will be £5 + booking fee, maximum 2 tickets per person.

Maxïmo Park will also play live in February at Newcastle Stage 2 and the NME Awards show at London’s Astoria. Support for these two shows will be !!! (say it: chk chk chk).

The full list of dates is as follows:

January 2007
18 Newcastle / Head of Steam
19 Newcastle / The Cumberland Arms
20 Newcastle / The Cluny

February 2007
20 Newcastle / Stage 2 - with support from !!!
21 London / ShockWaves NME Awards Show @ The Astoria - with support from !!!

www.maximopark.com

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Delays, The Cribs and Maximo Park have all been added to the line-up for Scotland’s completely sold out T In The Park festival. They join previously confirmed acts including Red Hot Chili Peppers, Belle & Sebastian, Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand. As previously reported, the event takes place at Balado near Kinross from 8 - 9 July.

Get tickets from ticketmaster.co.uk

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