This week saw the sad demise of another great British band. Indie rock quartet The Maccabees sadly announced they will be no more with a heartfelt letter to their fans posted on social media.
A message to our fans…. With Love, The Maccabees x pic.twitter.com/v2DN0PMP4R
— The Maccabees (@themaccabees) August 8, 2016
From their humble beginnings playing backroom shows in London to their number one album and headline slot at Latitude festival, we take a look back at some of the stand-out moments and songs in the London band’s 14-year career.
‘Toothpaste Kisses’ is one of those songs that teen girls all over the country fell in love with – its inclusion in the 2008 film Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging most likely helped. Its beautifully sweet indie love songs would melt even the coldest of heats. The track featured on their debut album, Colour It In, which also saw stand out tracks including ‘About Your Dress’, ‘First Love’ and ‘Precious Time’. The theme of young love and romance ran strong.
The Maccabees’ second album, Wall of Arms, is a stand out for many. ‘Love You Better’, ‘Can You Give It?’ and ‘No Kind Words’ were songs which saw a little gritty edge coming through but still keeping that sweet sound from their debut. At the time it was unknown that it would then be a four-year wait before the band returned with something new and different.
And boy, was the wait worth it. 2012 saw Given To The Wild, The Maccabees’ third album, hit the music world and show people a new side to the band. In late 2011, the band released lead single ‘Pelican’. The track, along with the entire album, brought something new and creative to the indie music world and combined with lead singer Orlando’s vocals, was incredibly captivating.
The band took influence from musical heroes David Bowie, Kate Bush and The Stone Roses for the album and this couldn’t be clearer on tracks such as ‘Feel To Follow’ and ‘Grew Up At Midnight’. The album is beautifully haunting in parts and true indie rock in others.
The long wait between albums wasn’t over and it was a long three years later before the band released their biggest, and arguably, best album to date. Marks To Prove It stormed to the top of the UK album charts with singles ‘Something Like Happiness’ and ‘Spit It Out’ receiving high amounts of radio air time and the band were playing across numerous festivals line-ups and selling out gigs wherever they went. Most recently they headlined this years’ Latitude festival.
Marks To Prove It was a love song to an area of London the band had spent a lot of time in, and the cover shot of Elephant & Castle emphasised this. On reflection, with this recent news of the band coming to an end, it couldn’t have been more perfect. The album is full of passion and heart and gave the band the best year of their career. What a way to end.
We’ll miss the band for sure.
What are your favourite Maccabees memories? Let us know in the comments below!
