The Maccabees at Rescue Rooms

After the excitement of actually interviewing Orlando Weeks), experiencing the cool factor achieved by being on a gig’s “list” -and in my case, getting to flash a photography pass wherever I went- not to mention raiding the merchandise table, myself and Charlie were all geared up to, as we put it, “go crazy” for the awesomeness that are The Maccabees. We’d been listening to their new album “Wall of Arms” non-stop for the last few days and couldn’t wait to see whether the band were as good live as we were hoping.

First up though were Mumford and Sons, the band’s support act. Slightly Irish-sounding, with a country-style (made all the more obvious by the checked shirts) to their music, they made for a good warm-up, although I did get the feeling that people were getting impatient to see the night’s main act. Nevertheless, the band played a good set to a packed out Rescue Rooms, and with their up-beat style, definitely got us in the mood for what was to come next.

http://www.myspace.com/mumfordandsons 

During a brief break, wannabe indie-kids (seriously, is there really any need for sunglasses indoors?) jostled for a position close to the stage, and I psyched myself up for the oh-so-gracious climb that I would have to make over the barrier into the photography area once the band came on. However, the satisfaction that came from being right up close to the band, WITHOUT being squished by a million fifteen year olds that looked like they had stepped right out of a Topshop or Topman catalogue, more than made up for my having to be helped over the barrier by the security guy (something which perhaps dented the cool “gig-photographer” look that I was trying oh-so-hard to portray).

Finally, after it seemed the crowd could stand the waiting no longer, The Maccabees opened up in an eerily captivating fashion, the stage shrouded in smoky red darkness, with the refrain from the end of “No Kind Words” and the beginning of “Bag of Bones” drifting out into the excited audience, who’s patience was soon rewarded as the lights came on to reveal the five band members as they launched into hit new song “No Kind Words”. Orlando Weeks’ instantly recognisable vocals rang out across the venue, which was completely packed out with fans of all ages, ranging from those for who it was probably past their bedtime, to adults who could have looked distinctly out of place, but instead managed to get the best of both worlds: one couple had a spot right at the front and NOBODY dared to squish them... talk about respect for elders! Saying that, some of the adults there really DIDN’T deserve our respect, and I’m thinking here of one particularly large man who seemed to think it would be fun to knock into as many fragile little teenagers as possible, much to my annoyance.

Immediately after, the band (Felix White in particular seemed to be “going crazy” as myself and Charlie would put it) gave an energetic performance of their first single “X-Ray”, made all the more exciting by the use of strobe lighting, which really got the crowd going, helping to set the scene for an amazing set that followed. The guys played old favourites such as “Tissue Shoulders” (after which my first-three-songs time ended in the photographers area and I had to climb back over the barrier, into the exhilaratingly terrifying pit of overly-energetic teenagers), “Toothpaste Kisses” (which sparked a mass sing-a-long), “Precious Time” and my personal favourite, “Lego”, interspersed with “Accordion Song” (for which Felix took the vocals and Orlando played, yep, you guessed it, an accordion) and songs from the new album such as “Can You Give It?”, “Kiss and Resolve”, “William Power” and “Young Lions” (surely a future single?) Orlando thanked the audience for giving the new material a chance, and the band rewarded them with the classic “First Love” as the closing song.

But, as was to be expected, after audience cries of “We want more!” the band reappeared to play an encore of “Mary” and built to an awesome finish with their new Top 40 single, “Love You Better”, which brought their unfortunately short set (clocking in at no more than an hour) to an end, with fans left begging for more. There was some sense of disappointment that new album favourite “Dinosaurs” and old classic “Latchmere” hadn’t been played, but perhaps The Maccabees aimed to leave us wanting more, as they will return to play at Nottingham’s Rock City in October.

The gig itself was amazing, with an energetic audience and an even livelier band! Their lack of pretentiousness really came across; rather, they just seemed to be having an awful lot of fun.

So did The Maccabees prove themselves to be a good live band? Yes! They had an amazing energy, especially Felix, who was dancing all over the place, and wasn’t at all fazed by his mic. breaking, choosing to share with Orlando instead, this denoting a certain sense of professionalism in a show that maintained a youthful feel of innocence and optimism, reflected not only in the band’s songs, but also in the childlike joy on their faces at playing to such a packed out audience. It was their modest enjoyment of live performance, coupled with my having witnessed Orlando’s pre-gig nerves that made the band come across as truly endearing and loveable.

And not forgetting that yes, it was a rather awesome gig at which to “go crazy”. Even if it did get more than just a little bit sweaty.

Thanks to Magda and everyone else on the security team, especially the guy who kept helping me over the barrier! Seriously, they need to get some kind of door for that thing.

http://www.myspace.com/themaccabees

By Rosanna Pound-Woods