And are you cool? Live Review- The Maccabees

The Maccabees. Brixton Academy. Thursday 26th January 2012.


On Thursday night the Brixton Academy in South London was full of a sense of anticipation and intrigue, with the Maccabees taking to the stage to play a sell out show.

The support act Trailer Trash Tracys sadly failed to deliver with their warm-up billing, and only added to the anticipation for the main act. A terrible sound came wailing from the speakers, and whatever the band could hear on stage certainly wasn't the same sound which the audience were subjected to. With such a poor warm up show it only increased the excitement for the five-piece indie rock band.

For the Maccabees, the new album, Given to the Wild, could be viewed as a change of direction; particularly following the jaunty indie angle of their first two records. Given to the Wild has been critically acclaimed, and lauded as their best work by some.

Opening with Child, you can tell why their new work has been highly praised. The spotlights; symmetrically positioned upon the band, almost force your eye to zoom in on the brilliant guitar work being carried out by the four guitarists Hugo and Felix White, Orlando Weeks and Rupert Jarvis. The lights might also be a subconscious effort to focus on the lyrics; some amazing words throughout.

The show was generally a mix of old and new tracks alike, as of course with any huge show, they have to strike a balance between both. Certainly, by throwing in classics from their first album "Colour it in" such as Lego, and the awesome Precious Time you knew that this show had been carefully created to span their back catalogue.

Personally, I was most interested to hear how the new album sounded and the bass heavy Forever I've Known was a highlight. Ayla was also magnificent, with Sam Doyle's fantastic drums also hitting the spot for me and the swaying crowd.

Ultimately, it is songs like Can You Give It, X-Ray and First Love which remind you why the Maccabees will sell out a venue like the Brixton Academy. I don't think there was a single person in the arena who wasn't static during the performance of those three wonderful songs.

A nod must go to Orlando Weeks, the lead singer, whose vocal style live is a joy to listen to. During Child and Feel to Follow, his vocals were superb. Not overly confident, the band's rise from support act to headline act has not affected them one bit.

If I was being further analytical about the show, then as a fan it was a shame I didn't get to hear Latchmere live. Their song about a South London Leisure Centre was my first introduction to these nigh on six years ago. Alas I wasn't too disappointed. There were some surprises. William Powers, an almost hidden track on their second album Wall of Arms; was quite wonderful to hear.

Finishing with We Grew Up at Midnight, with it's stellar ending, the audience were left baying for more. It was a wholly brilliant performance and will go in my gig memories under the category "epic". The sound was fantastic. I certainly shall return to see the Maccabees again.

Do you hear that, the Maccabees? I'll see you when you're older; when we're older.