The Maccabees Return With Free Download
South London 5-piece The Maccabees ended 2007 on a wave of praise for their “consistently excellent, willfully eccentric debut” (The Observer). “Colour It In” was hailed by NME as “The best alt.pop record of 2007. No contest” and crowned Album of The Year by Artrocker magazine.
Now the celebrated gang of musical romantics are back. They have finished work on their new album and, as a taster, are giving away a blinding new track hot from the studio. “No Kind Words” will be available to download from link following its debut play on Zane Lowe’s Radio1 show this Monday 9th February at 7.30pm. The download is a present for patient fans eagerly anticipating the follow-up to their debut.
The celebrated five-piece play their first live dates of 2009 with two club shows in London in February and an Xfm Presents at the Barfly on 5th March prior to their headline tour. They will play London’s Electric Ballroom, their first London headline since the triumphant sold-out Roundhouse show at the end of the “Colour It In” tour in 2007.
The Maccabees old-fashioned work ethic dictated an anti-rock ‘n’ roll approach to song-writing for the new record – throughout 2008, the band enforced a five day working week – cutting loose at the weekends just like the rest of us. In April, they set out on a low-key tour of intimate venues to road test the new songs. Sessions continued in the summer with a handful of special sets at boutique festivals like Underage and Beachdown. This dedication and focus has propelled them from the beginning and as a result, The Maccabees just get better and better.
A new sound started to evolve as the band focused on writing to each other’s strengths and late last year they teamed up with producer Marcus Dravs (Bjork, Coldplay, Arcade Fire) for recording sessions in the UK and Paris.
The results are stunning, as befits a band of true English eccentrics whose vision sets them apart, and beyond the confines of indiedom.
This as-yet-untitled new album will be released in May.
Catch The Maccabees live at the following dates:
Fri 20 Feb LONDON MATTER, Wonky Pop
Thu 26 Feb LONDON, KINGSTON-UPON-THAMES McClusky’s
Thu 5 March LONDON BARFLY,
Thu 19 March GLASGOW ORAN MOR
Fri 20 March SHEFFIELD PLUG
Sat 21 March COVENTRY KASBAH
Mon 23 March DERBY THE ROYAL
Tue 24 March BRIGHTON CONCORDE 2
Thu 26 March CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION
Fri 27 March STOKE SUGARMILL
Sat 28 March LIVERPOOL ACADEMY 2
Thu 30 April NORTHAMPTON ROADMENDERS
Fri 01 May EDINBURGH STUDIO 24
Sat 02 May LEEDS LIVE AT LEEDS
Mon 04 May BRISTOL THEKLA
Tue 05 May LONDON ELECTRIC BALLROOM
Wed 06 May NOTTINGHAM RESCUE ROOMS
Thu 07 May NORWICH WATERFRONT
Sat 09 May MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2
Sun 10 May BIRMINGHAM ACADEMY 2
Tue 12 May CARDIFF POINT
Wed 13 May SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY