Best known as the singer of Maximo Park, Paul Smith is a
songwriter from the North East of England. The Mercury Prize-nominated band has
released four top 20 albums since 2005, their most recent being 2012's The National Health.
Away from the band, Smith is a man of many musical and
creative talents. Fascinated by melodies, his carefully crafted lyrics tell
stories that are soaked in art history and pop culture – painting pictures that
are as visual as they are musical, describing the romance of the everyday and
celebrating the minutia of the world
around us.
Experimenting with instruments and sound, Paul collaborates
with a range of artists and musicians, as well as making solo work. He released
his debut solo album Margins in October
2010 before going on a full European and UK tour. Alongside the album, Paul
published his first photographic book, Thinking
In Pictures, featuring 74 Polaroids taken over six years. Currently, he is
completing a commission for the Festival of The North East, writing new music
for a string and percussion ensemble with Peter Brewis of Field Music.
Paul’s blog is a
fascinating glimpse into his influences, where he’s been and what he’s seen –
from covers of books he loves, to artworks, videos and audio recordings by
artists he admires.
Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulSmithMusic
