Music has a way of yanking us backward. A riff, a lyric, a chorus belted in unison — and the memories we thought were gone come roaring back. For many, A Certain Trigger is one of those records: the soundtrack to late-night bus rides, sticky-floored venues, and the feeling of possibility that only your twenties can hold. Twenty years on, Maxïmo Park’s debut still bristles with that same energy, sharp enough to cut through the noise of the mid-2000s and smart enough to stick.
Back in 2005, the record arrived with a trio of unforgettable singles — “Apply Some Pressure,” “Graffiti,” and “Going Missing” — songs that could switch a night on, that still ring out across indie dancefloors around the globe. Produced by Paul Epworth and released on Warp Records, A Certain Trigger stood apart. While the charts filled with swaggering guitar acts, Maxïmo Park came armed with wiry riffs, infectious choruses, and lyrics that felt like they were scribbled in the margins of a novel as much as a gig flyer.
To celebrate its twentieth anniversary, the band are heading out on a UK-wide tour in 2026. They’ll revisit the charged nights of London’s O2 Academy Brixton before bringing it all home to Newcastle’s O2 City Hall, where the story first began.
And for fans who want to hold the music in their hands again, the album is being reissued on October 31st in several formats. Alongside the original record, there’ll be Missing Songs — featuring “A19,” “Isolation,” and “My Life in Reverse” — plus a Rarities & B-Sides CD gathering demos and radio sessions that show the songs in their rawest form.
For Paul Smith, looking back at A Certain Trigger is far from just reminiscing—it’s about rekindling that same spark that first set the band in motion:
“Not many bands make it to a twentieth year together so we’re having a big celebration, with a special 20th anniversary tour and by giving a fresh perspective to A Certain Trigger. Our first album remains dear to so many people, and compiling archive material for the reissue has been like entering a time machine – thrilling, but also a bit scary! Happily, we think the music has more than stood the test of time, and the tour, where we’ll revisit many of the beloved older songs, will be a joyful experience for both us and our audience. Playing live has always been at the heart of what we do, and we still feel the same exhilaration stepping onto the stage as we did in the beginning, but now with even more appreciation of the moment, and the roar of the crowds.”
You can pre-order the A Certain Trigger reissue collections here.
Artist pre-sale begins on Weds 27th Aug 10am, sign up to the mailing list here for access. General sale from 29th August will be here.
Two decades on, the songs are ready to take flight again with the band marking the anniversary on stages across the UK with special guests, ART BRUT, with the following dates confirmed:
Featured photo credit: Moja
