Brewdog AGM - Twin Atlantic & Maximo Park
[This article was originally published in MNPR Magazine]
Beer and music are firm friends, so it makes sense that there should be great performances to go along with one of the best days in the beer calendar. The Brewdog AGM @ The AECC in Aberdeen didn't disappoint, with Twin Atlantic and Maxïmo Park being stand outs in the lineup, and MNPR were lucky enough to be on hand for this fantastic event.
Hailing from Glasgow, Twin Atlantic put out their first album in 2009, though they'd been playing together for several years before that. They have a hard hitting Alt-Rock style, with layered hooks and punchy, ernest vocals. Now with 4 albums under their belts, Twin Atlantic are comfortable with exploring that space, and pull off variations in tempo and lyricism with ease in different tracks. That's part of their charm when you see them live - they pull on your emotions with ease, whether it's the soul swelling anthems like "Heart and Soul" and "Brothers and Sisters", or the jaunty wry stories of "Make a Beast of Myself" and "Mothertongue".
Twin Atlantic took to a crowded , if somewhat unorthodox, arena. Business matters had long been put aside, and the 8000 strong crowd were split between the main arena and the bars of the concourses on either side. To say the crowd were eager to see the guys take the stage would be an understatement - as they walked out, the front row of the crowd were so loud that I had to check my ear plugs were actually in! Twin Atlantic put on a clinic of how to play to a Scottish crowd fuelled by some of the best beer around - rattling through the hits with an all up-tempo set that put the world to rights for just the time it took to hear it played. Phenomenal.
Another band formed in 2000, Maxïmo Park play on the lyrical-melodic side of Alt Rock, and their live performances have been winning people over since their debut.
There's really not a lot you can say to describe these guys - you have to see them... because they are one of the best show bands around. They all put everything into their performances, none more than frontman Paul Smith. With a leopard print shirt, a wide brimmed hat, and sporting two-toned shoes, I'd wager he spends more time jumping around and stood on the monitors than actually grounded on the stage. That kind of passion is infectious, and is the perfect pairing with the flexible vocals that weave through each song - there's a reason that "Our Velocity" still holds up over a decade after release.
There is an undercurrent of boogie that runs through some of their songs (on the night I could swear I heard a keyboard set to electric-organ), and this playfulness is sharply set against the awareness that the writing demonstrates about the moment that any song comes from. "What Did We Do To You To Deserve This?" is the most obvious example, but is by no means alone in their more modern albums. This complexity didn't stop them from putting on a truly engaging show to a packed arena at the Brewdog AGM, and the crowd got all the moves and melodies they could handle. If you want to see good music delivered with flair and awareness, Maxïmo Park are just the ticket.
