REVIEW: The Maccabees at the Guildhall

On Friday we headed down to the Guildhall to catch a glimpse of 2012’s most anticipated indie band The Maccabees play a cracking set, with support coming from La Shark.

Because we’re not 14 year old wannabe indie kids, we weren’t queuing since midday, instead we were sampling some of Southampton’s finest booze holes and made it just in time to catch the London-via-Brighton 5 piece show off their latest album Given To The Wild. Unfortunately we missed La Shark supporting but heard from a friend that they’re something to keep an eye on.

The Maccabees have quickly risen to fame with their comeback single ‘Pelican‘, with its punchy beats and stop-start guitar sounds. ‘Pelican’ and the latest single ‘Feel To Follow‘ have featured heavily on the Radio 1 playlists, perhaps a major contributor to their new found fame.

The band opened with the soothing ‘Given To The Wild Intro’ which naturally flowed into ‘Child’, with the rest of the set featuring several hits from their previous two albums; Colour It In and Wall of Arms. A good compromise of old and new songs were well crafted, with a healthy 8 tracks from the new album showcased. Crowd favourites such as ‘Can You Give It?’, ‘No Kind Words’ and ‘X-Ray’ also made an appearance. The Maccabees rounded off with ‘Grew Up At Midnight’, a perfect end to both the set and their recent album.

It’s difficult to describe who The Maccabees sound like but the guys themselves say they’ve been influenced by the likes of David Bowie, Kate Bush and The Stone Roses. Over the past six years since the band’s formation, it’s clear that as their popularity has increased, so has their musical ability. Colour It In saw their adolescent indie introduction to the world and then 2009’s Wall of Arms turn a much a darker and maturer path, particularly their collaborations with the likes of Arcade Fire and Roots Manuva. Given To The Wild has yielded a whole new route for the band but still features the consistent ‘wall of guitar’ sound.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNNip1MMjJI]

The Maccabees are set for the busy summer festival season, with the recent announcement that they will play Reading and Leeds, so if you get the chance they’re worth a watch or even just a few listens at home.