The Maccabees, reviewed!

The Maccabees

2 November 2011

The Maccabees are happy to be back and the crowd are pleased to see them. It hasn't been that much of a hiatus, but the cheers that greet them when they wander on to the Trinity stage is undoubtedly a warm embrace.

Kicking off with new song, Child - a more ambient track for the strum-based janglers - Orlando Weeks’ vocal is as free and jittery as ever. Still, Child feels a little more considered than the tracks from their last album, Wall of Arms. It feels, well, a little bit more grown-up with the musicians having to focus to reach the crescendos that make the crowd really jump. And, they jump... a lot - especially when the band start to haul out old favourites like First Love and Precious Time and a throng of people race to the front for a glimpse of the angelically bashful frontman.

For newcomers to the group, fresh fare such as Child and Pelican could well be highlights, but for stalwart fans these tracks hint towards The Maccabees' upcoming album, Given to the Wild (due January 2012), containing the Brighton-based outfit's best work to date.

This show is part of a mini UK tour in the build-up to the release of Given to the Wild, and the album looks set for success. On one side of the stage people are calling guitarist Hugo White a sexy beast, on the other side his brother and fellow six-stringer Felix White is thrusting and lunging at the crowd over the amplifiers to generate the fever pitch they clearly want.

The Maccabees' chemistry is still raw with band members pairing off while playing new tracks to make things sound as impeccable as possible. The encore begins with the urgent X-Ray sending the crowd into absolute overdrive before another newbie, Grew up at Midnight closes the show with a thrashing finish. These songs are locked down and ready to be released.

The Maccabees have matured, but not grown up. They’ve held on to the mischievous performance style that a lot of bands lose when their sound develops. The Maccabees are happy to be back, because they know they won't be going anywhere.

Duncan Harrison

Trinity has been hosting gigs since 1980. Head to the Trinity Archive to find out more about our rich musical heritage