In a music industry drowning in reunions and comebacks, it’s fitting to finally see a band call it a day on their own terms, whilst still at the peak of their powers and headlining festivals.

The Maccabees have done exactly that in a run of three shows at Alexandra Palace. Ever since the uncompromising debut single ‘X-Ray’ introduced the world to the five-piece, the London band have never faltered, consistently putting out unique pop music that carries an edge. They’ve never stopped evolving, whilst always retaining their quintessential lush melodies, heartfelt lyrics and emotional soundscapes.

Orlando Weeks, Felix White, Hugo White, Rupert Jarvis and Sam Doyle have unhurriedly become the indie darlings of the UK and went out on a monumental high in the capital in a cathartic, joyful end to their wonderful existence.

From the youthful, hook-heavy debut Colour It In, to the epic anthems of Wall of Arms, to the masterfully-produced Given To The Wild, all the way through to the climatic Marks To Prove It, the group have never made a bad album and all four were catered for on the penultimate night of the farewell tour.

The London band have retired themselves naturally, citing the need for a break after a decade of touring and performing. You can see that they’re all still close friends as they share passing glances and beaming smiles with one another throughout the course of a 90-minute show; a show that rattles along with all the fierce energy you’d expect from a high-tempo greatest hits set.

They kick off with ‘Wall of Arms’, with Weeks’ customary hyper-emotive vocals being chanted back to him in full voice by the passionate Friday night audience; something that continued throughout the night with the sold out crowd fully aware it was the last time they’d be doing such a thing. ‘Feel to Follow’s cascading guitars soon followed before ringleader Felix White instigated the jumping of the crowd with ‘Love You Better’. ‘Precious Time’ then produced one of the biggest sing-alongs of the evening, whilst ‘Grew Up At Midnight’ showcased the band’s more poignant side.

Although The Maccabees arrived during the heyday of ‘landfill indie’, their first record Colour It In has always managed to orbit around the rest of the scrapheap and stood the test of time. This was evident in the three track assault of ‘Lego’, ‘Latchmere’ and ‘X-Ray’, which still sound as fresh in 2017.
Other highlights of the night included the pulsating ‘Can You Give It’, the sinister ‘No Kind Words’ and the slow burning 'Spit It Out’. Members of Mystery Jets and Mumford & Sons then took to the stage for the main set closer ‘Something Like Happiness’ in an epic end to proceedings.

‘Marks to Prove It’ soon burst the room back into life for the encore before pure nostalgia took precedence for emotional renditions of ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ and ‘First Love’ as it slowly dawned on everyone that the end was nigh. 'Pelican' then brought the night to a fitting climax as the words ‘THANK YOU’ appeared across the backdrop of the stage. The feeling was mutual.
Paul Hill

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