Making An Impression
After a re-scheduled venue to a supposedly larger dirty squalor of a bar The Maccabees were already off to a flying start. Demos floating around the internet and the release of a few singles are the basis of tonight's chaotic and stupidly loud sing along.
As Orlando bellows out the first few lyrics of their second song of the night, "Latchmere" the place erupts into a mess of body parts and stray out of tune vocals from a crowd of already sweat soaked onlookers. It seems that these last few months have overtaken the Brighton residents as each song receives a rapturous welcome and utter crowd vocal domination.
"Colour It In" and "About Your Dress" receive a wonderful beating, and during a mixed up version of "Bicycle Rush" Orlando grabs a passionate performance by its throat and throttles it until it is well and truly rinsed dry. Then came a loving tale of simple pleasures as "Precious Times" appeared on the set list and the lyrical wizardry of "You'll Need Heart And I'll Need Courage" sent the bodies of the onlookers into a gang of goose bump coated teens.
I find there is a certain mystique about these boys. Press shots often show the Maccabees to be emotionless bodies of seriousness, but photos can be deceiving as I learnt tonight. From the first lick of "Sore Throat" to the last cymbal of "Lego" the band sport grins from ear to ear and there is a feeling of unity amongst the five boys as they stand on the small stage of Nexus and juggle body movements in between one another and attempt to avoid the clasp of the front row fans as they eagerly lean over the pathetic excuse for a barrier.
It is performances like these that are career making, show stopping masterpieces and not the tentative first steps of five humble hoodie-clad twenty-something year olds.
The Maccabees made their dent in Southampton tonight. Having played smaller venues here in the past it is now a fact that such dingy venues will not be graced with their presence for a long time. After this stop, the first of their tour, they will be moving around the country and I am certain they will be returning home to Brighton a more popular and greatly established band.