Maximo Park Suit Secret

Newcastle punk funk tykes Maximo Park have revealed that they need to enlist a tailor to make special alterations to their clothes.

Maximo Park returned recently with their third album 'Quicken The Heart'. The band's first album in two years the Newcastle musicians decamped to Los Angeles in order to work on new material.

Collected as 'Quicken The Heart' the new album has won praise from critics as well as fans. Possibly their most mature collection yet, the new record retains their jagged guitars and pounding drums.

Live, Maximo Park are a whirlwind of energy. A recent free show in Newcastle saw hundreds of fans turned away from the doors, as the band gave one of their finest shows blitzing through new material as well as old classics.

However it seems that all that prancing around onstage takes its toll on frontman Paul Smith. Famed for his bowler hat and acerbic lyrics, the singer loses himself in the music resulting in a high octane performance.

But all those jumps and scissors kicks damage Paul Smith's trademark suits, with the singer having to employ a tailor in order to strengthen the crotch area and to combat any possible wardrobe malfunctions.

"I'm working with a guy called Jonathan Quearney," Smith told NME. "He used to work on Savile Row and he’s got his own place now on Windmill Street in Fitzrovia."

In one of those bizarre twists, Paul Smith is also the name of a noted British designer. The Maximo Park singer thanked his tailor in the liner notes to 'Quicken The Heart', and is keen to highlight the tailor's work.

Quearney himself recently told NME that making his suits Maximo-proof is a relatively simple operation.

"The layers inside the suit have large loose stitches so Paul can jump around like a lunatic and not rip the clothes apart," he explained.

The band are set to look smart during the festival season, taking to the stage in a field near you. Amongst the group's most prominent dates are a slot at Glastonbury, where Maximo Park will kick off the entire proceedings.

Maximo Park are continuing to appeal for a guitar stolen from a recent show. Over eager fans pilfered the dressing room of a prized Telecaster, which was once owned by legendary frontman of The Clash himself Joe Strummer.

Maximo Park's new album 'Quicken The Heart' is available now.