The Maccabees - Interview - Winter 2007
By: Yousif Nur
Meeting in an empty Old Blue Last pub in East London, The Maccabees and I set up a table on the stage, climb aboard and commence chat about romance, an imminent second album, and Fair Trade Flapjacks.
Rockfeedback: What's the most important objective for the band at the minute?
Orlando: "We've made one album and we want to make a better album. And to get better as musicians and..."
Hugo: "...to get better with our music."
Rockfeedback: Are you surprised at the reaction you've gotten in the past 18 months, the sudden rise in popularity?
Orlando: "We're constantly surprised by people that have been saying nice things, like you've been saying that you've been to a few of the gigs and we're grateful that anyone comes again. As far as we're concerned it's come with the territory I suppose. We've toured a lot and we've hopefully written a good album, so of course it's been a shock because we weren't getting anywhere and suddenly its... this. But it's come with a lot of playing and getting out there. Some of the songs on the album had been around for a year and some we've never really played live to anyone, so when it all came together it kind of felt like we've got something here that people can get their teeth into. It is constantly a shock that people have got into it so much. We're over the moon with where we've got to and we're in a position now where people are going to pay more attention to us I suppose.
Rockfeedback: How true are the stories that the Maccabees were previously a folk band?
Orlando: "To begin with, we didn't really have any electric guitars, we just had a couple of acoustic guitars and we were playing in my bedroom, so it had to be quiet! The things I was listening to back then, particularly at the stage I was writing songs and we were working them out, were pretty folk. Then we all changed when we figured out it was much better that we were going to make a better song and better album, etc. with everyone having an equal input and that's where it changed from being a low-key thing.
Hugo: "We literally just played songs straight on guitar. We didn't really know how to play our instruments... we started off really basic and that just ended up sounding a bit more like a folk band!
Orlando: "Most of what we've been doing now is kind of an accident because we're still trying to figure out how to play our instruments and how to make things sound how we wish it could sound if you picture it in your head if you write it. That comes from playing to people. Maybe we were a folk band but we were just starting out and didn't really know what we were doing at all."
Rockfeedback: In terms of both sound and lyrics, do you see yourselves as being a bunch of romantics at heart?
Orlando: "I suppose so, people ask us if we're romantic types and that, but I definitely think... yeah, we probably are romantics! A lot of the music that we love has romantic undertones and romance is something that we feel we can write about because we've lived it a bit more, rather than trying to write something about..."
Rockfeedback: Love and lost loves?
Orlando: "Yeah exactly. We love bands like the Clash, Joe Strummer wrote these incredible songs with political undertones and as far as I'm concerned lyrically I don't feel like I'm in a position to write about politics yet, because I couldn't back it up. I don't know enough yet and hopefully that will come with time as well."
Rockfeedback: You'll do a Coldplay perhaps?
Orlando: "Yeah who knows? I don't know if that's gonna happen! Although I had a Fair Trade flapjack the other day and it was pretty good."
Rockfeedback: So, second album on the way... many bands have faltered at that particular hurdle as I'm sure you're aware. What stage are you at?
Orlando: "We've got three or four written and finished. We've got another eight that are just knocking about. We're trying to figure out what the best way of turning them into songs is. So it's going pretty well actually I feel. This is the only day off album work we've got for the next couple of months really."
Hugo: "We had a two-week period where we started writing it really..."
Orlando: "...and we came out of that with four or five songs. If we keep on it then we should be on track to try and have it, at best, mostly written and ready to record by January and February."
Rockfeedback: Those new All Ages gigs (things like WayOutWest, AAC, Underage Club), what's been your involvement there?
Orlando: "I had a meltdown at Brentford FC (WayOutWest)! It didn't go very well. I tried to impress this producer who produced the Strokes first album [that'll be our own Rockfeedback contributor Gordon Raphael, then!] and I just got too drunk! The thing about playing those shows is all the kids in there can't buy drinks. So if you put your drink down for a second to roll a cigarette or whatever, it's gone when you look down! So we were drinking really fast to try to ensure that our drinks didn't get nicked! I think that was a bit of an embarrassment that night, but never mind! I think we've always thought that that age is, for the majority of people, that is when they start getting into music and start finding a love for types of music and bands. So if we can play those gigs then it's just a great opportunity for people that may not otherwise be able to see us."
Hugo: "It's important that anyone should come to a gig no matter what age they are really. They should be able to get involved in live music. It would be a shame to not let that happen."
Orlando: "I think going to a gig is such a treat, no matter how old you are. It's an event and you want to be a part of it. We think those gigs are great."
Hugo: "All the all-ages shows that we've done have been really chaotic, which I suppose is good in some ways. They always turn out to be these mad things with loads of drunk 15 year olds! Which probably isn't a very good promotion for parents allowing their kids to go to all-ages. But it's a good thing all the same."
Rockfeedback: Tell us a bit about the team behind the videos, record covers etc., if you wouldn't mind? The band's got a very strong visual aesthetic.
Orlando: "Well we've done Go De Jong with Matt and Luke - it's just something outside of the band I can get excited about. All of the artwork for the band has been done by us, mainly by me and Matt. Then Luke's does lots of flyers and we've done a couple of compilation CD covers and we've done a T-shirt for Bloc Party. So it's just something else that I can be excited about as I say, getting involved in.
Rockfeedback: What do you think of what your old pal Jack Penate's been up to?
Hugo: "I think it's amazing since we've known Jack when he was younger, me and my brother always had a lot of faith in him in being successful as a musician, and it's great to see it paying off and he deserves it. it's the same with Jamie T, seeing him play with just his acoustic bass guitar at little clubs to having a whole band together and playing these f**king amazing shows."
Orlando: "The thing that we learnt from Jack was that what you play live, like with his band, it doesn't have to correlate with the acoustic thing that you do or with the sound on your album because all three of those points are different. I think it shows his worth as a musician and as an arranger. I don't know what my favourite thing is, whether I prefer the album or live versions or acoustic."
Rockfeedback: How was your experience touring America with Bloc Party?
Hugo: "It was pretty much our first time for all of us touring the US. So that was a massive experience to all go out there. But it was quite strange really because it's like playing to people who are completely oblivious as to who you are. But just being with Bloc Party was amazing. Just seeing them being so successful out there, like a band from London, they're playing to 5000 people all across the country. So that was great to do that really. It was just a big trip to do that and a lot of jiving involved as well!"
Rockfeedback: What do you think of what's been going on in London musically since you guys have been away from home?
Orlando: "It just seems like there's lots of good music and lots of shit music as well, but it's better to have the choice of going to see something rather than nothing y'know? It's been hard for us recently, just because we've been touring so much together to go to the smaller gigs in London and now that we're back, every night I've got someone phoning or texting saying 'Come and see this band' and I'm just trying to keep up really. I've been out of the loop really."
Rockfeedback: What are your plans for 2008?
Orlando: "Release a better album than our first and then play it to people. We need to get the songs written and we're going to try and get Richard Hawley to produce some of them. Beyond that, we just want to record with Richard Hawley and say we got a record produced by him! I think we want the record to be... (pause) We've been listening to a lot of Richard Hawley and Devendra Banhart, Nick Drake again - I stopped listening to him and came back to it and now I can't believe why I hadn't been listening to him all the time. I really like The National, we love the sound of The Cribs' new album, and Kings of Leon. So we're not really sure what it will sound like. Hopefully it'll sound more competent, musical and show an improvement.
Hugo: "I think also we have to find the best way to write songs and who'll get the most out of them because we'll do it with that person I think, whoever it is. It'll probably have more of a variety of songs, the heavier bits are going to be heavier and the romantic, tiny waltzy things are going to be more like that. We're going to make a folk album!"
Orlando: "Back to our roots!"
Watch an acoustic performance of 'First Love' HERE.
Artists in this article: The Maccabees,