The Maccabees – Manchester Academy, 06/10/09
There’s a fantastic atmosphere of excitement outside the doors of Academy 1; the fans of the Maccabees aren’t letting the torrential downpour dampen their spirits in anyway whatsoever.
I make my way to the Academy upstairs balcony and despite the fact it’s freezing, I am offered an unparalleled view of not only the stage but the whole of the Academy, where I can see the hall fill up slowly with people (a lot of whom look very young – there seems to be an appeal to this band that stretches across a large age group).
The opening band, Peggy Sue, takes to the stage about 7.30 – an interesting 3 piece band with 2 female singers. Initially I found this band clashing horribly, but eventually they become something that is genuinely interesting to listen to. With only 3 people on stage and no bassist I had some initial worries that in the Academy they would sound musically hollow on such a large stage, but competent and insistent drumming filled any voids left by the girls up front who – while swapping between lead and backing vocals delightfully swapped instruments – there was that dull repetition I’ve come to associate with a lot of indie bands on today’s music scene.
Every song seems to bring a change of instruments – guitar, accordion, a second drum, and this does give a fantastic sense of diversity. Whilst the crowd seems to know nothing this band is playing, they nevertheless look to be enjoying this quirky trio.
Whilst Peggy Sue saw less than a third of the venue filled by the time the main event come on stage, there is little room to stand, let alone breathe – another sold out show for the Maccabees, and it’s easy to see why. Within minutes of coming on stage the hall is in a frenzy. The Maccabees seem very confidant on this size stage; they seems to have stepped their performance up a notch without missing a beat and with relative ease. Familiar tracks like X – Ray are met with rapturous applause (the most of the audiences love seems to be reserved for the singles), and after a few songs the Maccabees break into some songs from the forthcoming album. There’s a feeling this new material is a fitting move to be played in a venue of this size it seems darker and more percussive than previous material – the tracks from Wall of Arms are better suited to the larger venue than the more intimate tracks of Colour It In.
From where I’m stood, I’m offered an fantastic view of not only the band but the crowd, and it’s easy to see why the lads have been able to steadily move up in venue sizes – the band seems very comfortable playing a fair pace and there’s more crowd interaction than has been seen in previous years. There’s a sense that frontman Orlando Weeks is very at ease with his surroundings and less timid than he has been before.
My biggest reservation is that a lot of the more intimate material from “Colour It In” that I fell in love with, and made the Maccabees stand out in my eyes, seems lost in a venue this size. It may be the size of the venue, or Weeks’ increased confidence, but Toothpaste Kisses and First Love seem to lose their sense of vulnerability; whilst they are well received, I feel like there something missing that was present on the album – and in smaller venues.
Having said that, the first song of the encore puts to bed any suspicion I had that the boys have lost the vulnerability and emotional openness, displaying a level of tenderness and feeling that was largely absent from the bulk of the performance… What I’d felt to be a fundamental charm of the Maccabees.
A first-rate performance. I once again got to see multiple aspects of what make the Maccabees appealing and a good preview of what’s to come from them in the future.
Simon Jessop
