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 Things do not get off to a great start. When UK Music turns up at the allotted time for the chat with newcomers the Maccabees and frantically rings their tour manager George, there’s no answer. Worst than that, it turns out that the boys, who are on the MTV2 Spanking New Music Tour with Fields, Forward Russia and Wolfmother, are due on stage in twenty minutes. Grumpy doesn’t even describe the mood as we stomp downstairs and catch the Londoners in action playing a storming set to a not particularly full room. Well it was still pretty early on a Friday night.
Half an hour and they’re done. And once again, we try with little success to track down the tour manager and again we stomp back downstairs, but this time to catch fellow newbies on the bill, Fields.
Then their set ends, and hurrah, at last, George turns up and it looks like the interview will actually take place! We walk down what seems like the longest corridor ever to the dressing room where assorted members of Fields are also chilling out. The other Maccabees are nowhere to be found, so we plonk ourselves down next to guitarist Felix in anticipation of our chat. The great thing about not having everyone there is, you can talk about them, and it’s at this point George quickly redeems himself.
“I caught Orlando [Weeks, singer] posing” he begins. “In Hotel Inn you have three mirrors. You have one either side and one in the middle, and he was standing there playing the acoustic guitar, looking at himself in the mirror”.
“He doesn’t even play guitar on stage!” UK Music exclaims, vividly picturing the scene.
“Exactly!”
Once the laughter subsides and the gossiping, we finally get down to the business of the interview with Felix.
So how is the MTV 2 Tour going for you guys?
Great man, all the bands are amazing apart from Fields who are sh*t. [luckily Fields have a sense of humour and are laughing]. No, I’m joking Fields are incredible! It’s a pleasure to be on tour and playing such big venues. For us it’s been like playing quarter full venues, as we’re first on and everyone’s Wolfmother fans, which is fine as we’re playing to different people. So it’s been tough, but none the less enjoyable.
And you did the NME Rock ‘n’ Roll Riot Tour too with the Fratellis and the Horrors, how did that go?
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That was amazing, we were playing to a lot of people every night. The Horrors go and cause a fuss then they come back into the dressing room and ask for their hair straighteners.
Talk us through what happened when you played in Brighton recently when things got a little out of hand.
First of all, that was the best day the band had, playing Concorde 2. That was an amazing time. But at the end a few fans were a bit overexcited and got on stage and perhaps didn’t quite see eye to eye with the bouncers. There’s no malice involved in it, everyone just wanted to have a good time. We’ll play again in Brighton, sort it out so it doesn’t happen again. We’re nice boys, you know what I mean? None of this business of exciting riots or anything, we just want to play songs to people and smile.
Is there any meaning to the name ‘the Maccabees’?
It was just a name our mate picked out of the bible, but it doesn’t mean anything to us. It just sounded cool, it hasn’t got any religious meaning or anything like that.
How was the band formed?
We’ve always just hung around, being sixteen, hanging around the same places, drinking underage, playing football or whatever. It’s the most natural thing to do, have a group of people who get along and want to do something together. It was never difficult. It seemed the most obvious thing to do, getting in a band with your mates. That’s what it’s all about I suppose.
Would you say you’re part of the post-Libertines scene?
We were growing up in London when that whole thing was happening so we were really aware of it. It was really cool that there was a gang that everyone was in love with and that you could really be part of it, like Pete Doherty writing to people on the internet. But I wouldn’t necessarily say that we sound like the Libertines.
I saw them once and they were just amazing gigs. Everyone just seemed to be ecstatic to be part of it which was a really cool thing. That’s what you want as a band, for people to be part of it and to feel like they’re with the band.
What was it like working on the album with Stephen Street?
Stephen Street was great man. Obviously he made records that we love like Queen Is Dead (the Smiths), Parklife (Blur) and whatever, and he had a real sense of what a 'British' record is. A really lovely guy a straightforward guy.
We’re a live band, that’s how we exist. We played gigs together and that was always the thing we did. We played shows, it was never about making records, so we were keen to make a record that sounded like the best Maccabees gig ever. So it’s really live, but obviously with his knowledge he beefed it up and whatever.
And you worked with Gil Norton, who has also produced albums for Foo Fighters and the Pixies, on your early demos?
Yeah man. And we were really young. It was the first time we got into the studio. It taught us a lot about how it works and what’s required of you.
What can people expect from the album (due out early next year)?
Waltzier songs. Like quieter, recorded through tiny like amps, and makeshift drum kits and stuff. As well as that we’ve got hopefully things we don’t play which are more drum ‘n’ bass and then some proper pop songs. Hopefully there’s a good mix in there.
And are you settling into life on tour now?
I think so. I’m finding it much easier than I thought I would. I’m loving every second of it. I thought I would be shattered and whatever, but not at all. We’re still crammed together, and all getting pissed off with each other. It provokes arguments, but at the same time, we’re a gang.
The single First Love is out 13th November.
For more info: www.themaccabees.co.uk
Words: Helen Duong
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