Lovers of 2000s British indie rock can rejoice, as The Maccabees have announced they’re reuniting for a special London headline show next summer.
The South London band won fans' hearts with tracks such as Toothpaste Kisses and Pelican after making their musical debut in 2004, and went on to subsequently break them when they announced their disbandment in 2016.
During their original tenure, the five-piece won critical acclaim for both their albums and their live performances. 2012’s Given to the Wild was nominated for the Mercury Prize and their 2017 farewell shows were met with high praise.
Eight years on, the band have announced they’ll reunite for a headline slot at Victoria Park’s All Points East next summer, performing at the festival on August 24.
Their reunion has been in the works for a while: guitarist Hugo White invited his former bandmates to play a one-off set at a wedding in 2020 and, during lockdown, the members –Orlando Weeks, Felix White, Rupert Jarvis, and Sam Doyle – reminisced on their days of making music together. According to White, The Strokes’ performance at All Points East last year was also a motivator for the band to reunite. “I could see that they were enjoying it, realising how great what they had created together was,” he said in a statement.
However, The Maccabees are keen to stress that fans should have no expectations of a permanent reunion. “This is an opportunity to realise that whatever we had in that moment was pretty special and get to enjoy it again,” White continued. “It’s a chance to appreciate everything, and especially how it impacts other people and created a community.”
Although the full line-up for next year’s festival is yet to be announced, this year’s headliners included Kaytranda, Mitski, LCD Soundsystem, and Loyle Carner.
General sale tickets to see The Maccabees will be available to purchase from 10am this Thursday, October 31 via the festival’s website. There’s also a presale, which goes live 24 hours before – however, those hoping for a presale ticket will have to sign up via the band’s website.
