DJ: Rick Shaw

Maximo Park: We Don't Want to Be Billy Bragg

added 04 December 2012 at 22.27

Frontman Paul Smith has told Xfm that straightforward political songs aren't their forte - but they do have a message…

Maximo Park's latest album is called The National Health and frontman Paul Smith has told us, they wanted it to highlight the meaning in their music.

"You've always got to write about the things you're interested in, you can't force things in a certain direction," he explained to Xfm's Clint Boon. "I've written so many things in my notebooks that never see the light of day - for good reason.

"Billy Bragg kind of political songs that are more direct aren't my forte but in our songs there's always been stuff to do with the world around us from our first album through tot the latest one.

"By titling it The National Health it brought attention to that side of the band."

The Maximo Park frontman was talking to Xfm's Clint Boon backstage at Xfm's Winter Wonderland with Rocksmith at O2 Apollo Manchester where they performed at the sold out show along with Findlay, Spector, Delphic, Everything Everything and just below headliners Bloc Party.