04.25.07

It’s not for the cock, it’s for the pop ecstacy!

Posted in G-Town, Gigs at 10:36 pm by Gavin Williams

The Maccabees/ Jack Penate @ Rescue Rooms

Tonight, Rescue Rooms is a boiling, sweaty single organism. As more and more people cram themselves in, the walls themselves begin to drip sweat and an atmosphere of sky high excitement bordering on panicky expectation rises.

Jack Penate comes on and starts strumming his guitar and singing “I got my mojo working” in his charmingly soulful
London accent. Then, before anyone knows what’s hit them, he bursts into “Spit at Stars” and the world seems like a much happier place already. He goes wild, jumping around, nodding his head violently and doing his (now almost legendary) “crazy legs” dance. With songs such as “Second, minute or hour”, “Torn on the Platform” as well as the afore mentioned “Spit at Stars”, it’s impossible to watch Jack Penate without wearing a huge, fuck off grin. He gets the crowd going excellently and it surely can’t be long at all until he’s headlining venues this size on his own.

After a short wait which sees anticipation rise like a thermometer would in this heat and everyone going nuts for a crowd-shot photograph from the stage, The Maccabees make their way onstage. Half shyly picking up their instruments, half grinning broadly at the packed room of squashed fans, they burst into “Latchmere”. The lyrics (most probably boring on paper, brilliant and thrilling on record and live) are matched word for word by the audience.

The Maccabees are a band that happily lack many ingredients that make up a lot of average bands. For example, each instrument is as vital and as exciting as the others. Whether it’s the innovative bass lines, the pounding, or delicate, drums or the gorgeous guitar melodies, each band member is as important as the other and all add something that is vital to The Maccabees sound.

The band have great onstage charisma, especially with singer
Orlando twisting and turning to the music and guitarist Felix hopping around and leaning into the crowd to sing along with the fans. The level of pogo-ing and singing from the crowd is intense, especially during songs such as “lego”, “About Your Dress” and “All in Your Rows”. The people love this band and they really seem to love the people back.

The band finish their set but soon come back on (smoking fags and looking cool) to a riotous response. As a closer they choose to play “First Love”. With the gentle, melodic guitars soon spiralling into jerky riffs before
Orlando asks “Are you cool?” and the song really opening up, it’s safe to say everyone goes ape shit. At one point the singing from the crowd all but drowns out
Orlando’s voice so he just smiles and holds the mic up towards the sweaty mass.

Tonight, The Maccabees are fantastic. They have a dedicated set of fans, a barrel full of beautifully constructed guitar pop songs and enough “charmingly befuddled” attitude to win hearts all over the country. This is a band that seem on the brink of greatness and, for what its worth, this has probably been the gig of a hectic year so far.

The Maccabees album “Colour It In” is out on itunes now but is in shops on May 14th.

www.myspace.com/themaccabees

www.myspace.com/jackpenate

(Apologies to Derek Mein who was on first but I missed but I have it on good authority that he was good…sorry!)

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