Festival News: The Maccabees mark their majestic reunion with long awaited All Points East headline show.
Marks To Prove It: The Maccabees mark their majestic reunion with long awaited All Points East headline show.
Back in 2017 at the peak of their powers, indie heartthrobs The Maccabees bowed out with three sold out shows at their London spiritual home Alexandra Palace. For their huge cult following of fans charmed since their beginnings in 2007, these hugely emotional shows felt like a fond farewell, but this wasn’t to be. After seven years of various side projects and solo pursuits such as Orlando Week’s successful albums and Hugo White’s band 86TVs making waves in the indie scene, the time felt just right to rekindle the old flame. On Monday the band announced what feels like for them a rite of passage major London festival headline slot after playing virtually every landmark venue in the city over their career. The band had been teasing an announcement over the weekend on social media with their familiar logo and clips from their old shows, leading to much speculation from fans.
Much like that other major reunion announcement recently which was met with mass hysteria – the opportunity for the Maccabees was simply too good to miss. As founding Maccabees member Felix White adds on the pertinence of the show itself: “In the intervening years we’ve been to All Points East a lot, separately. It’s become a bit of a landmark festival for us, always checking who’s on the line-up. I’d go and have a great time throughout the day, but there was always this pinch of regret watching headliners that we could’ve done it ourselves one day too. I thought that moment had passed, and it was something I was prepared to come to terms with that I was always going to miss. I think we’re all kind of shocked and excited that we get to do it together again”.
The Maccabees are a band who have always cherished their fanbase. The sense of community they have always so strongly held is beautifully in keeping with the spirit of East London’s All Points East embracing the escapism and togetherness of the August Bank Holiday weekend. Hugo White added “This is an opportunity to realise that whatever we had in that moment was pretty special and get to enjoy it again. It’s a chance to appreciate everything, and especially how it impacts other people and created a community.”
At their peak, The Maccabees took the indie world by storm, with numerous main stage festival slots as they graced the likes of Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, as well as many momentous performances at the legendary Brixton Academy on the famous Shockwaves NME Awards tours. Both old fans and new are set for what promises to be a highlight of The Maccabees journey to reach their status as modern-day indie icons. Having just put our clocks back and facing the long nights ahead, these summer festival announcements are just what we need to keep our spirits up. Tickets go on general sale at 10am on the 31st October and a word of warning, their farewell shows sold out in a matter of minutes!
Words by Brendan Sharp
