The Maccabees (band)
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The Maccabees are an English
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band, formed in 2004 in London. They released four albums: '' Colour It In'' in 2007, followed by '' Wall of Arms'' in 2009, '' Given to the Wild'' which was released on 9 January 2012 and their last album '' Marks to Prove It'' released on 31 July 2015. The band announced that they decided to disband in August 2016, with farewell gigs in 2017. On 25 October 2024, it was announced that the band were reuniting.


Name

The band came up with the name by flicking through the Bible and picking out a random word. Despite adopting a name with perceived religious connotations, lead singer Orlando Weeks has more recently affirmed, in an interview on Steve Lamacq's BBC 6 Music show, that none of the band is religious.


Music career


2007–2009: ''Colour It In''

Their debut single, "X-Ray", was released on Promise records on 28 November 2005, and received some evening play on London radio station Xfm London. They received little significant exposure, however, until six months later, when they released their second single, "Latchmere", the subject of which is the wave machine at the Latchmere Leisure Centre in Battersea, South London, on Fierce Panda Records in April 2006. This was championed by Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and received airtime on MTV2. The video, directed by Hugh Frost and Samuel Bebbington, also proved an internet hit after it was posted on YouTube. They had their first taste of festivals by playing on the Carling stage of the Leeds/Reading festival in 2006. The band were signed to major label Fiction Records, and released their debut album '' Colour It In'' in May 2007. Because an early copy of the album appeared on the ''New York Times'' website, ''Colour It In'' became available to download exclusively from
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on 16 December, before its physical release on 14 May, in an effort to combat the leak. The single " First Love" was their first to chart in the UK top 40, and was followed by " About Your Dress", which peaked at No. 33. Their album received positive reviews, and charted at No. 24. They then toured the United States with fellow indie group
Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...
. A full UK tour followed from October 2007, culminating in a sell-out show at the Roundhouse venue in London.


2009–2010: ''Wall of Arms''

On the run-up to the release of their second album, the band played two new songs to Steve Lamacq on his "In New Music We Trust" show on Radio 1 in May 2008, "No Kind Words" and "Young Lions". The band also played a string of small venues in the UK to test out new songs, in March and April 2008. The Maccabees performed at Offset Festival in London as well the Underage Festival in August 2008. On
Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...
's Radio 1 show in February 2009, Felix confirmed the name of the follow-up album to be '' Wall of Arms'', an announcement that coincided with the release of the free downloadable track, "No Kind Words". On 16 March, Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq played the band's first single from ''Wall of Arms'' entitled Love You Better, the video to which was posted exclusively on ClashMusic.com on 27 March. ''Wall of Arms'' was released on 4 May 2009. It entered the UK albums chart at No. 13 and received positive reviews with the ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' giving the album 8/10. At the end of the year, ''Artrocker'' made the album joint No.1 Album of 2009 along with Yeah Yeah Yeahs' ''It's Blitz!''. In July 2009, second single "Can You Give It" was released. The Maccabees invited the Dodworth Colliery Band of Barnsley to record a rousing brass version of the single for the B-side. ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' interviewed Orlando and Felix during the recording session. The accompanying video for "Can You Give It" was filmed at the famous Coopers Hill annual cheese rolling race in Gloucestershire. Other performances in 2009 include
Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...
on 28 and 29 August respectively and Little Noise Sessions on 16 November. On 3 October 2009, the five-piece band played a gig at
Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Lon ...
to finish off their ''Wall of Arms'' tour. The band pulled in a huge crowd for their homecoming show at the O2, as well as a brass section for many of their songs as they performed their entire 2009 album and a host of tracks from their 2007 debut ''Colour It In''. During the set Felix White declared the Academy as 'the best venue in the world'. ''The Guardian'' ran a five star live review of the gig. In November 2009, The Maccabees collaborated with rapper Roots Manuva on a heady re-working of ''Wall of Arms'' album track and live favourite "No Kind Words". The track, newly titled "Empty Vessels", features new lyrics and vocals from fellow south Londoner Roots. It was debuted on Zane Lowe's evening show on Radio One on 11 November. The single release of "Empty Vessels" was made available on iTunes from 24 November 2009 on Fiction Records. The Maccabees were named as headlines for the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2010 with Bombay Bicycle Club, The Big Pink and
The Drums The Drums is an American indie pop band/project from New York City. It was initially formed by Jonathan Pierce and Jacob Graham as Goat Explosion, and later added Adam Kessler and Connor Hanwick. Graham exited the band in 2016. Since then, ...
in February 2010.


2012–2013: ''Given to the Wild''

The Maccabees debuted new song "Child" in
Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
in August 2010, as well as playing the Main Stage at the Reading & Leeds festival 2010, debuting new song titled "Forever I've Known", displaying what seems to be a darker, deeper sound for the band. They played new songs "Child", "Feel to Follow", "Pelican", "Ayla", "Went Away", "Forever I've Known" and "Grew Up at Midnight" at The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth on 8 August 2011. On 4 October 2011, the band announced via their blog that their third album, '' Given to the Wild'', would be released on 9 January 2012. The first single from the album was "Pelican", it was first played on 15 November 2011 on BBC Radio 1 by Zane Lowe. It was released on 9 January 2012 to very favourable reviews, it currently holds a score of 72 on
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. At the 58th
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
, held at the
Grosvenor House Hotel ] JW Marriott Grosvenor House London, formerly the Grosvenor House Hotel, is a luxury hotel that opened in 1929 in the Mayfair area of London, England. Across from Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park, the hotel is built on the former site of the 19th ...
in London on 16 May 2013, "Pelican" won Best Contemporary Song. The album was at No. 1 on the midweek chart update, at the end of the week it debuted No. 4 on the UK Album Chart, the highest Maccabees release to date there. On 12 September 2012, the album was nominated for the 2012
Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual Music award, music prize awarded for the best album released by a musical act from the Music of the United Kingdom, United Kingdom or Music of Ireland, Ireland. It was cre ...
. On 24 October 2012, the album was certified gold in the UK. In 2015 their song "Grew Up at Midnight" was featured in the film ''
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''.


2014–2017: ''Marks to Prove It'' and Disbanding

In 2013 The Maccabees announced in an ''NME'' article that they were hoping to release a fourth album in early 2014. However, in January 2014 in another article with ''NME'', guitarist Felix White stated, "We started the record at the beginning of 2013. We went into the studio with the idea that it was going to be finished by now. And we've finished two songs. We've got a lot of songs but every time you write something new, it raises the standard." Frontman Orlando Weeks added, "we haven't really come across the songs that set the tone or mood for this record yet, we're kind of shooting in the dark. But I like that: there isn't a specific thing I'm trying to funnel stuff into." In March 2015, it was announced that The Maccabees were going to release new single "Marks To Prove It" on 11 May through Fiction Records. In May 2015, the band confirmed that ''Marks To Prove It'' would feature eleven tracks. The album was recorded in the band's studio in
Elephant and Castle Elephant and Castle is an area of South London, England, in the London Borough of Southwark. The name also informally refers to much of Walworth and Newington, due to the proximity of the London Underground station of the same name. The n ...
and pays tribute to the area. On 18 May, the band announced that the album would be released on 31 July 2015. "Something Like Happiness" was released as the second single and streamed by the band on 11 June. It was released on 31 July, to coincide with the album. In August 2016, the band released a statement stating that "After 14 years as a band we have decided to call it a day", with farewell shows to follow in summer 2017.


After the break-up and reunion

For the first time in January 2018, the founding member and the producer for Maccabees, Hugo White, talked of his memorable time working with the Maccabees and his life as a music producer after the Maccabees disbanded. On 17 August 2023, Felix White and Hugo White unveiled their first single, "Worn Out Buildings," as part of their new musical project
86TVs
Band members included their younger brother, Will, and the drummer
Jamie Morrison Jamie Morrison (born 30 June 1983) is a British musician, best known as the drummer in Welsh band Stereophonics an86TVs He is also known for his playing with Noisettes, Drewford Alabama and releasing music through his label Ninjas & Wolves unde ...
, known for his previous work with the bands Noisettes and
Stereophonics Stereophonics are a Welsh pop and rock music, Welsh rock band formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in the Cynon Valley. The band consists of Kelly Jones (lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards), Richard Jones (Stereophonics), Richard Jones (n ...
. In June 2023, they signed with
Parlophone Records Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...
. On 23 October 2024, the band deleted previous social media posts and updated their logo, prompting speculation from fans and press of a reunion. Their website was updated with the new logo and a link to sign up to their mailing list for updates. The band confirmed their reunion on 28 October with the announcement that they would be headlining All Points East festival on 24 August 2025.


Members

* Orlando Weeks – vocals, guitar, keyboards (2004–present) * Felix White – guitars, piano, backing vocals (2004–present) * Hugo White – guitars, backing vocals (2004–present) * Rupert Jarvis – bass (2004–present) * Sam Doyle – drums (2008–present)


Former members

* Robert Dylan Thomas – drums (2004–2008) * Elliott Andrews – drums (2006–2007) * Will White – keyboards, synthesizer, samplers (2010–2013)


Discography

* '' Colour It In'' (2007) * '' Wall of Arms'' (2009) * '' Given to the Wild'' (2012) * '' Marks to Prove It'' (2015)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maccabees, The English musical quintets Indie rock groups from London Rock music groups from London Ivor Novello Award winners NME Awards winners Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups disestablished in 2017 Musical groups reestablished in 2024 Fiction Records artists