Saturday 10/02/07 The Maccabees, GoodBooks @ Korova, Liverpool

For a band on the verge of breaking into the mainstream it’s a strange choice of venue for tonight’s show. Korova is a tiny sweat-box in a basement where the stage is level with the audience, thus rendering those under 6 foot essentially blind. Luckily this hack stands at over 6 feet, otherwise this review would be a lot shorter.

The 250 capacity room sold out almost instantly, perhaps on the back of The Maccabees successful tour with The Fratelli’s earlier in the year where they stole the show. The crowd seems to be split 50-50 between ardent fans and neutral bystanders. Overheard in the girls toilets (Not by me I hasten to add) was this conversation,

Dumb Girl 1-“Whose onstage now?”
Dumb Girl 2- “Dunno, I think it’s Hot Chip”
Dumb Girl 1- “What are The Maccabees like?”
Dumb Girl 2- “Not sure, I only like The Killers and Razorlight”

Is it Draconian to vet people before they buy tickets? Probably.

Anyway it was not Hot Chip (obviously), however it was meant to be The Hot Melts a new local band recently taken under the same management wing as The Kooks. Mysteriously they pulled out of the gig, a shame really as playing to a sold out audience could only have helped the band. Instead it meant that GoodBooks went on earlier than scheduled but still satisfied the audience with their heady dose of angelic vocals, funk driven guitars and youthful vigour. It’s difficult to get really excited about GoodBooks as they lack a real sex appeal or uniqueness but at the same time it’s hard to criticise them, as they are very very good. Give them time and they could be great.

A band that are already great are The Maccabees. Unassuming but utterly compelling the Brighton boys take to the stage and rattle through their set with rapid pace, 'OAP', 'About Your Dress' and ‘Sore Throat’ are played in quick succession, each one pushing the crowd nearer to pandemonium. The audience is so giddy and excitable that singer Orlando has to tell the audience to take a step back as people are getting crushed. Any hopes of calming the storm are dashed however when the band tear into ‘X-Ray’, ‘Precious Time’ and the simply gorgeous ‘First Love’. Everything The Maccabees do sounds as though it could burst at any time, a juxtaposition of euphoria and melancholy. Every word underpinned with a sense of power and passion. Lyrically The Maccabees are one of the most intriguing bands to emerge in a long time, showcased perfectly on set closer ‘Lego’. Orlando Weeks croons in his idiosyncratic style, “The boys chew Lego, so now we can’t build castles or robots ‘cos the pieces don’t fit together” followed by “Look left and look right, cross the road and hold my hand” are pretty much the sweetest pair of lines this side of Los Campesinos.

As The Maccabees leave the stage, the mirrors surrounding the standing area steamed up, and a sweaty goosbump laden crowd depart knowing they have just seen a gig to treasure and hold in their hearts for many years to come. If 2007 does not see The Maccabees hit stratospheric heights then there is something very wrong with the world.