Monday 21/05/07 Maximo Park, The Noisettes @ Temple Bar Music Centre, Dublin

Free concerts can go one of two ways; firstly you can get a crowd of diehard fans going absolutely mental at the prospect of seeing their favourite band for free. Or it can be competition winners sort of curiously happy to be there but more interested in free beer and t-shirts. Bud Rising, to promote their series of summer concerts, are serviong up a free feast of crunchy rock with London Based lunatics The Noisettes and the verbose rockers Maximo Park.

The Noisettes squeeze on to a small stage also containing half of Maximo Park's gear and proceed to unmercifully deliver a set with furious anger. A small unenthusiastic crowd watch with apathy as The Noisettes gamely try to stir even the slightest emotion. The trio inject their half hour set with the kind of energy that should be reserved for a packed stadium or a riot. Lead singer Shingai Shoniwa switches from high kicking Shirley Bassey smooth to Kelis pissed off effortlessly as she blasts out current single ‘Scratch Your Name’ and ‘Mind The Gap’ amongst others. Drummer Jamie Morrison with his curly fro beats the living life out of each song, such an act of assault I have never seen before.

The 600-capacity Temple Bar Music Centre is full by the time Maximo Park abound on stage. Maximo are a band whom even their detractors would admit always provide a fully 110% committed live show so the omens were good even though the crowd seemed curious rather than crazed. Bowler hat wearing lead singer Paul Smith is perpetual motion, he simply doesn’t stop and even when speaking to the crowd he is bending and twisting. When he sings, he is like an explosion in a limb factory, flailing arms and legs go everywhere. The prospect of watching someone seriously injury themselves is a constant fear. Keyboardist Lukas Wooller continues his Ian Curtis audition, jerkily dancing around the keyboard as the rest of the band lurks in the shadows.

The sublime ‘Graffiti’ is thrown out first to a limbering crowd, slowly letting the beer take hold. Of the new album tracks ‘Our Velocity’ and ‘The Unshockable’ are despatched and devoured with equal viciousness. The band seems relaxed, as Paul interacts with the crowd throughout the night. A number of stories are regaled to the throng as the usually manic front man seems relaxed enough to talk about his ferry trip over and a visit to a fast food restaurant (still constantly moving though). The Geordie quintet explodes into a double volley of A Certain Triggers’ opening tracks ‘Signal And Sign’ and ‘Apply Some Pressure’ as the crowd realise how good a band they are watching. Future single ‘Nosebleed’ and a head quivering ‘Limmasol’ bring the evening to a vehement end.

Maximo Park’s boundless enthusiasm and damn fine songs could never allow the prospect of a barely lucid crowd to detract them from their goals, world domination and to expand our vocabularies. Free gigs sometimes just need a little push to get them started.