GiggingNI.com

The Maccabees

With Cutaways;

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people that gathered at the beginning of the night, as usually the venue doesn't start filling up until nearer the time when the main band plays, in this case Brighton's own The Maccabees, but nevertheless, they came, they gathered, they had a pint and the night was about to begin. Belfast-based electro indie-poppers Cutaways were destined to be the support act for tonight and with some great reviews from ATL, AU Magazine and Hot Press, including "a joyous, riotously fun performance", I was expecting a decent night ahead of me. There's no doubt that this band has the talent to be amongst the best as their recordings on their MySpace page, previewing their latest CD 'Earth and Earthly Things', prove but a night that I looked very much forward to, having never seen this act before, turned into somewhat of a disappointment. Their addicting pop-indie riffs and top quality vocals in songs like 'I Don't Understand' and 'Lovers are Lunatics' justified the band's request for the audience to step a little closer to the stage but on a night that the sound just wasn't in their favour (most likely in favour of the Maccabees), they didn't really catch their attention. Despite vocal levels being low, frontman Paul McIver's attitude to the gig was spot on and by taking the time to have a few laughs with the audience certainly was the right way to go about things. Nevertheless, but be put off by their performance on the night, check them out, buy their CD, you'll hear the quality then!

So as the sound wasn't up to it for the Cutaways, I was eagerly waiting to see if it improved for the Maccabees and I was convinced it would be. The Spring and Airbrake was starting to fill up nicely and it was good to see. It's great what some TV adverts can do and I'm sure the Maccabees were delighted in landing the Samsung advert which featured their tune 'Toothpaste Kisses', widely recognised by many. So, filling up with some diehard fans, some 'Toothpaste Kissers' and some randomers, the Maccabees took to the stage to an array of applause and cheers from the Belfast faithful. Smashing into 'No Kind Words' was the perfect way to start off their show and with the smoke that dazzled the stage, we were in for a good night! At the front, there was the jumpers, in the middle we had the 'headnodders' and at the back, the 'toetappers' were present. It was a gig where everyone was doing something. Frontman, Orlando Weeks, seemed a bit reserved and shy at the start of the set but after a string of popular hits including 'Toothpaste Kisses' and 'Precious Time', the Maccabees were in full flow and with a huge reception after every song, the Brighton lads were on top form. Commenting on Belfast's wild 'tribal chanting', the 'ooo' and 'wooos' of Belfast were certainly making the Maccabees happy and in return they finished their particularly 'epic' set with their latest single 'Love You Better'. All in all, The Maccabees turned things up and shifted into fifth gear and brought the night to Belfast - the way it should be done.