The Maccabees
Encyclopedia
The Maccabees are a indie rock
band from Brighton
, England
. They have released two albums so far, Colour It In
in 2007, with a follow-up, Wall of Arms
, released on 4 May 2009. A third album Given to the Wild
is scheduled for a release date of 9 January 2012.
, lead singer Orlando Weeks has more recently affirmed, in an interview on Steve Lamacq
's BBC Radio 1
show, that none of the band is religious. Their lyrics often include an atheistic theme, in particular their second album's title track, "Wall of Arms".
DJ Steve Lamacq
and received airtime on MTV2
. The video, directed by Hugh Frost and Samuel Bebbington, also proved an internet hit after it was posted on YouTube
.
The band are currently signed to major label Fiction Records
, and released their début album Colour It In
in May 2007. Because an early copy of the album appeared on the New York Times website, Colour It In became available to download exclusively from iTunes
on 16 December, before its physical release on 14 May, in an effort to combat the leak. The single "First Love" was their first to chart in the UK top 40
, and was followed by "About Your Dress
", which peaked at #33. Their album fared much better, which was released to positive reviews, and charted at #24. They then toured the USA with fellow indie group Bloc Party
. A full UK tour followed from October 2007, culminating in a sell-out show at the Roundhouse venue in London.
During late 2007, Samsung
used the track "Toothpaste Kisses
" in its advert campaign for its SGH-G800
mobile phone
.
on his "In New Music We Trust" show on Radio 1
in [May 2008, "No Kind Words" and "Young Lions". The band also played a string of small venues in the UK to test out new songs, in March and April 2008. The Maccabees performed at Offset Festival in London as well the Underage Festival in August 2008.
On Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show in February 2009, Felix confirmed the name of the follow-up album to be Wall of Arms
, an announcement that coincided with the release of the free downloadable track, "No Kind Words". On 16 March, Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq
played the band's first single from Wall Of Arms entitled Love You Better, the video to which was posted exclusively on ClashMusic.com on 27 March.
Wall of Arms was released on 4 May 2009. It entered the UK albums chart at No.13 and received positive reviews with the NME
giving the album 8/10. At the end of the year, Artrocker made the album joint No.1 Album of 2009 along with Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "It's Blitz!".
The band performed at NewcastleGateshead's Evolution Festival on 25 May 2009. They finished their set with "Love You Better". They played before The View and after Little Boots
on the Spillers Wharf Stage.
In July 2009, second single "Can You Give It" was released. The Maccabees invited the Dodworth Colliery Band of Barnsley to record a rousing brass version of the single for the B-side. The Guardian
interviewed Orlando and Felix during the recording session. The accompanying video for "Can You Give It" was filmed at the infamous Coopers Hill annual cheese rolling race in Gloucestershire.
Other performances in 2009 include Reading and Leeds Festivals
on Friday 28th and Saturday 29 August respectively and Little Noise Sessions
on 16 November.
On 3 October 2009, the five-piece band played a gig at Brixton Academy to finish off their Wall Of Arms tour. The band pulled in a huge crowd for their homecoming show at the O2, as well as a brass section for many of their songs as they performed their entire 2009 album and a host of tracks from their 2007 debut Colour It In. During the set Felix White declared the Academy as 'the best venue in the world'. The Guardian ran a five star live review of the gig.
In November 2009, The Maccabees collaborated with rapper Roots Manuva
on a heady re-working of Wall of Arms album track and live favourite "No Kind Words". The track, newly titled "Empty Vessels", features new lyrics and vocals from fellow south Londoner Roots. It was debuted on Zane Lowe's evening show on Radio One on 11 November. The single release of "Empty Vessels" was made available on iTunes from 24 November 2009 on Fiction Records.
The Maccabees were named as headlines for the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2010 with Bombay Bicycle Club
, The Big Pink
and The Drums
in February 2010.
in August 2010, as well as playing the Main Stage at the Reading & Leeds festival 2010, debuting new song titled "Forever I've Known", displaying what seems to be a darker, deeper sound for the band.
The Band played new songs "Child", "Feel To Follow", "Pelican", "Ayla", "Went Away", "Forever I've Known" and "Grew Up At Midnight" at The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth on Monday 9 August 2011.
On 4 October 2011, the band announced via their blog that their third album, Given to the Wild
, will be released 9 January 2012.
The first single from the album will be 'Pelican', it was first played on 15th November 2011 on BBC Radio 1 by Zane Lowe. It has since been uploaded to Youtube
as an audio, along with its release date of 1 January 2012.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. They have released two albums so far, Colour It In
Colour It In
Colour It In is the debut album of British indie band The Maccabees. It was released in the UK on May 14, 2007. It was released on the UK iTunes Store on April 16, 2007. The album name is the CD-only B-Side from the third single "First Love"...
in 2007, with a follow-up, Wall of Arms
Wall of Arms
Wall of Arms is the second studio album by the English indie band The Maccabees, released on May 4, 2009. The album was preceded by the single "Love You Better" on April 27...
, released on 4 May 2009. A third album Given to the Wild
Given to the Wild
Given to the Wild is the third album from British indie rock band The Maccabees. , the album is scheduled for release on 9 January 2012.-Recording:...
is scheduled for a release date of 9 January 2012.
Name
The band came up with the name by flicking through the Bible and picking out a random word and not from taking the name of the already established Thanet band. Despite adopting a name with religious connotationsMaccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
, lead singer Orlando Weeks has more recently affirmed, in an interview on Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
's BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
show, that none of the band is religious. Their lyrics often include an atheistic theme, in particular their second album's title track, "Wall of Arms".
Colour It In (2007-2009)
Their debut single, "X-Ray", was released on Promise records on 28 November 2005, and received some evening play on London radio station Xfm London. They received little significant exposure, however, until six months later, when they released their second single, "Latchmere", the subject of which is the wave machine at the Latchmere Leisure Centre in Battersea, South London, on Fierce Panda Records in April 2006. This was championed by Radio 1BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
DJ Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
and received airtime on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
. The video, directed by Hugh Frost and Samuel Bebbington, also proved an internet hit after it was posted on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The band are currently signed to major label Fiction Records
Fiction Records
Fiction Records is a UK label founded by Chris Parry in 1978 that is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. Formerly independent, the label is now owned by Polydor, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-History:...
, and released their début album Colour It In
Colour It In
Colour It In is the debut album of British indie band The Maccabees. It was released in the UK on May 14, 2007. It was released on the UK iTunes Store on April 16, 2007. The album name is the CD-only B-Side from the third single "First Love"...
in May 2007. Because an early copy of the album appeared on the New York Times website, Colour It In became available to download exclusively from iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on 16 December, before its physical release on 14 May, in an effort to combat the leak. The single "First Love" was their first to chart in the UK top 40
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and was followed by "About Your Dress
About Your Dress
"About Your Dress" is the fourth single by British indie band The Maccabees, and their second to make the UK top 40, peaking at number number thirty-three - their highest charting single to date...
", which peaked at #33. Their album fared much better, which was released to positive reviews, and charted at #24. They then toured the USA with fellow indie group Bloc Party
Bloc Party
Bloc Party are a British Indie rock band, composed of Kele Okereke , Russell Lissack , Gordon Moakes , and Matt Tong...
. A full UK tour followed from October 2007, culminating in a sell-out show at the Roundhouse venue in London.
During late 2007, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
used the track "Toothpaste Kisses
Toothpaste Kisses
"Toothpaste Kisses" is the name of a track from The Maccabees album Colour It In. Released on January 7, 2008, it is the fourth track released from the album and sixth single released overall. The Maccabees official website features a plea for a couple who have been married forty years or more and...
" in its advert campaign for its SGH-G800
Samsung SGH-G800
The SGH-G800 is a product in the Samsung G-series, it features a 5 megapixel camera with xenon flash and is of the slide-type.It comes in shiny silver and black, has 3x optical zoom and auto focus capabilities. The phone uses microSD cards. It has FM-radio and mp3 playback. This was one of the...
mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
.
Wall Of Arms (2009-2010)
On the run-up to the release of their second album, the band played two new songs to Steve LamacqSteve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
on his "In New Music We Trust" show on Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
in [May 2008, "No Kind Words" and "Young Lions". The band also played a string of small venues in the UK to test out new songs, in March and April 2008. The Maccabees performed at Offset Festival in London as well the Underage Festival in August 2008.
On Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show in February 2009, Felix confirmed the name of the follow-up album to be Wall of Arms
Wall of Arms
Wall of Arms is the second studio album by the English indie band The Maccabees, released on May 4, 2009. The album was preceded by the single "Love You Better" on April 27...
, an announcement that coincided with the release of the free downloadable track, "No Kind Words". On 16 March, Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq
Steve Lamacq , sometimes known by his nicknames Lammo or "The Cat" is an English disc jockey, currently working with the BBC radio stations BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 2.-Early career:He was born in Basingstoke, Hampshire...
played the band's first single from Wall Of Arms entitled Love You Better, the video to which was posted exclusively on ClashMusic.com on 27 March.
Wall of Arms was released on 4 May 2009. It entered the UK albums chart at No.13 and received positive reviews with the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
giving the album 8/10. At the end of the year, Artrocker made the album joint No.1 Album of 2009 along with Yeah Yeah Yeahs' "It's Blitz!".
The band performed at NewcastleGateshead's Evolution Festival on 25 May 2009. They finished their set with "Love You Better". They played before The View and after Little Boots
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...
on the Spillers Wharf Stage.
In July 2009, second single "Can You Give It" was released. The Maccabees invited the Dodworth Colliery Band of Barnsley to record a rousing brass version of the single for the B-side. The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
interviewed Orlando and Felix during the recording session. The accompanying video for "Can You Give It" was filmed at the infamous Coopers Hill annual cheese rolling race in Gloucestershire.
Other performances in 2009 include Reading and Leeds Festivals
Reading and Leeds Festivals
The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, sharing the same bill. The Reading Festival is held at Little John's Farm...
on Friday 28th and Saturday 29 August respectively and Little Noise Sessions
Little Noise Sessions
The Little Noise Sessions is a series of acoustic charity concerts held annually at the Union Chapel, London, England in November, although one was held in Exeter in December 2009. The proceeds of ticket sales are donated to the charity, Mencap...
on 16 November.
On 3 October 2009, the five-piece band played a gig at Brixton Academy to finish off their Wall Of Arms tour. The band pulled in a huge crowd for their homecoming show at the O2, as well as a brass section for many of their songs as they performed their entire 2009 album and a host of tracks from their 2007 debut Colour It In. During the set Felix White declared the Academy as 'the best venue in the world'. The Guardian ran a five star live review of the gig.
In November 2009, The Maccabees collaborated with rapper Roots Manuva
Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith , better known by his stage name Roots Manuva, is a British rapper from Stockwell, South London. He is currently signed to Big Dada.-Biography:...
on a heady re-working of Wall of Arms album track and live favourite "No Kind Words". The track, newly titled "Empty Vessels", features new lyrics and vocals from fellow south Londoner Roots. It was debuted on Zane Lowe's evening show on Radio One on 11 November. The single release of "Empty Vessels" was made available on iTunes from 24 November 2009 on Fiction Records.
The Maccabees were named as headlines for the Shockwaves NME Awards Tour 2010 with Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay Bicycle Club are a British indie rock and folk band from Crouch End, London. The band comprises: Jack Steadman , Jamie MacColl , Ed Nash and Suren de Saram ....
, The Big Pink
The Big Pink
The Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...
and The Drums
The Drums
The Drums are an American indie pop band from Brooklyn, NY with members stemming from the shortlived band Elkland . The band is currently on the Moshi Moshi/Island , Universal and Frenchkiss labels.-Formation:...
in February 2010.
Given to the Wild (2010-)
The Maccabees debuted new song "Child" in BrightonBrighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in August 2010, as well as playing the Main Stage at the Reading & Leeds festival 2010, debuting new song titled "Forever I've Known", displaying what seems to be a darker, deeper sound for the band.
The Band played new songs "Child", "Feel To Follow", "Pelican", "Ayla", "Went Away", "Forever I've Known" and "Grew Up At Midnight" at The Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth on Monday 9 August 2011.
On 4 October 2011, the band announced via their blog that their third album, Given to the Wild
Given to the Wild
Given to the Wild is the third album from British indie rock band The Maccabees. , the album is scheduled for release on 9 January 2012.-Recording:...
, will be released 9 January 2012.
The first single from the album will be 'Pelican', it was first played on 15th November 2011 on BBC Radio 1 by Zane Lowe. It has since been uploaded to Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
as an audio, along with its release date of 1 January 2012.
Band members
- Orlando Weeks – Vocals and Guitar
- Hugo White – Guitar
- Felix White – Backing Vocals and Guitar
- Rupert Jarvis – Bass
- Sam Doyle – Drums
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
IRE |
|||
| Colour It In Colour It In Colour It In is the debut album of British indie band The Maccabees. It was released in the UK on May 14, 2007. It was released on the UK iTunes Store on April 16, 2007. The album name is the CD-only B-Side from the third single "First Love"... |
|
24 | - | |
| Wall of Arms Wall of Arms Wall of Arms is the second studio album by the English indie band The Maccabees, released on May 4, 2009. The album was preceded by the single "Love You Better" on April 27... |
Fiction Records Fiction Records is a UK label founded by Chris Parry in 1978 that is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. Formerly independent, the label is now owned by Polydor, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-History:... Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
13 | 65 | |
| Given to the Wild Given to the Wild Given to the Wild is the third album from British indie rock band The Maccabees. , the album is scheduled for release on 9 January 2012.-Recording:... |
Fiction Records Fiction Records is a UK label founded by Chris Parry in 1978 that is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. Formerly independent, the label is now owned by Polydor, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-History:... Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
TBC | TBC |
Singles
| Title | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "X-Ray" | 147 | Colour It In |
| 2006 | "Latchmere" | - | |
| "First Love" | 40 | ||
| 2007 | "About Your Dress About Your Dress "About Your Dress" is the fourth single by British indie band The Maccabees, and their second to make the UK top 40, peaking at number number thirty-three - their highest charting single to date... " |
33 | |
| "Precious Time Precious Time "Precious Time" was a single release by Brighton based Art-Pop band, The Maccabees. It was the band's third single released on Fiction records, and the band's fifth overall. It was their first single under Fiction not to chart in the UK top 40, peaking at Number 49, and preceded their album, Colour... " |
49 | ||
| 2008 | "Toothpaste Kisses Toothpaste Kisses "Toothpaste Kisses" is the name of a track from The Maccabees album Colour It In. Released on January 7, 2008, it is the fourth track released from the album and sixth single released overall. The Maccabees official website features a plea for a couple who have been married forty years or more and... " |
70 | |
| 2009 | "No Kind Words" [free download] | - | Wall Of Arms |
| "Love You Better" | 36 | ||
| "Can You Give It?" | 129 | ||
| "Empty Vessels" | - |
EPs
| Name (label) EP | Release Date | Chart Position |
|---|---|---|
| You Make Noise, I Make Sandwiches (Haircut Records) | August 2004 | - |
| Toothpaste Kisses (Fiction Records Fiction Records Fiction Records is a UK label founded by Chris Parry in 1978 that is best known for being the home of The Cure for over 20 years. Formerly independent, the label is now owned by Polydor, a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.-History:... ) |
10 October 2007 | 70 |