The Maccabees review — a blistering second shot at fame
Do bands genuinely break up any more? Don't blame Oasis. More likely, the Maccabees saw their Noughties indie-rock compatriots the Libertines and the Kooks playing the biggest concerts of their careers to a raft of new young fans and sensed an opportunity.
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Certainly, there is affection to spare for the south London quintet, who bowed out at their height for no apparent reason. More importantly, among the older Maccabees fans at Barrowland was a significant contingent of kids. Surprisingly, perhaps, it was specifically songs from the band's 2007 debut album Colour It In that they had come to hear.
The opener, Latchmere, an early single, proved the point. A spiky rocker about a south London leisure centre, it sent Barrowland into a frenzy. Rather than hold up their phones, fans were pogoing old-school style and howling back the song's seemingly silly lyrics about the wave machine at the centre's swimming pool.
Lego and the post-punky X-Ray were as rapturously received and as chaotically delivered. There is nothing slick about the Maccabees, and perhaps that's the appeal. In an age of Instagram perfection, their low-budget, high-energy indie felt real and refreshing.
As ever, the bulk of the band's interaction with the audience came via the guitarist Felix White, now sporting more hair than he did first time round. 'We never thought we'd be stood here again — it's the best feeling in the world,' he said.
The frontman Orlando Weeks, with less hair but added moustache, was always the Maccabees' Achilles heel when it came to playing live. He simply can't seem to speak on stage. Previously an obstacle to success, it could become a calling card. When Weeks stepped up to the mic after a riotous Precious Time, the audience fell silent in expectation. 'Eh, cheers …' he said, before an awkward pause. 'All this time and still nothing to say.' Cue the night's loudest laughter.
A glorious guest appearance from Nadine Shah on No Kind Words and Kamakura and a spine-tingling Spit It Out, both from 2015's chart-topping Marks To Prove It album, were highlights. Ditto the closer, Pelican, not a hit when it was released in 2012 but now taking off on TikTok.★★★★☆Touring to Aug 24, themaccabees.co.uk
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