14 years ago, The Maccabees decided to throw everything they had into the music industry.
In the time that has passed, the London based band have toured the world, released four studio albums and lapped up international plaudits.
Nights of unparalleled ecstasy, days of lazy joy, fights over songs, girls and moments of perfect harmony will have punctuated the last decade and a half but finally, on Saturday night, it all came to an end.
But what an end it was.
Setting up in Alexandra Palace on their final evening of three in London, The Maccabees delivered a performance which felt like it was 14 years in the making.
There were no part time fans, nobody along for a nice evening of watching from the back and sitting down, this was a night for it all to come out for artist and disciple. Thrashing limbs into guitars, ‘Wall of Arms’ was blasted into the masses waving in the sticky air.
‘Latchmere, ‘X-Ray, ‘Precious Time’ and ‘Lego’ followed as emotions began to build as a slow realisation hit the crowd, this would be the last time they would hear these songs live.
But this was a celebration, not a eulogy and nothing epitomised the ruckus better when ‘Something Like Happiness’ was played while confetti cannons showered Ally Pally in the chaos.
That was the ‘final’ song of the set and upon being told, boo’s cascaded forwards, only for Orlando to tellingly say, ‘you know how this works guys,’ as they left for a minute or two before reappearing for one final encore.
Joined by Jamie T for ‘Marks to Prove It’, things got off to an incredible beginning of the end.
When ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ began, there didn’t seem to be a single person in that cavenous room who wasn’t grabbing hold of someone else, savoring the chance to simultaneously be serenaded while serenading right back.
‘I’ll be yours and you’ll be….’
The madness of ‘Pelican’ and crescendo of lingering choruses from ‘Something like Happiness’ came back around to end the sweat soaked night.
What a pleasure it was to see a band go out at the height of their powers, this wasn’t an 80’s ensamble rehashing their classics, decades after being relevant, this was a group right at their peak, giving a performance of a lifetime to a young crowd full of alcohol and drugs and joy.
What a perfect way to call it a day.
Curious Jeorge 