The Maccabees Tickets

From the honeyed refrains of ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ to the punchy guitars of ‘Pelican’, the revered indie rock band made waves in the mid-2000s with their own distinctive sound, catchy melodies and frenetic live shows.

Formed in South London in 2004, The Maccabees quickly became a beloved act within the capital’s indie circuit and beyond. Initially composed of Orlando Weeks, Hugo White and Felix White, Rupert Jarvis and Robert Dylan Thomas (later replaced by Sam Doyle in 2008), the band first found fame with their track ‘Latchmere’. Inspired by the wave machine at the Latchmere Leisure Centre in Battersea, the track provided the perfect introduction to the band’s sharp lyricism, playful wit and tight instrumentation. ‘Latchmere’ quickly found backing from the likes of BBC Radio 1 and MTV2, with The Maccabees soon finding themselves gracing the stages at major festivals like Reading and Leeds, before signing with Fiction Records.

In the years following, The Maccabees made a meticulous effort to evolve their sound with each critically and commercially acclaimed album release. For instance, their debut album Colour It In (2007) proffers a nostalgic vignette of the band’s early style with fan-favourite tracks like the mellifluous ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ – a firm fan-favourite that has clocked up more than 100 million Spotify streams to date. Elsewhere, their second album Wall of Arms (2009) displayed a deeper sound with more expansive production, well-suited to the rapidly growing venues the band were headlining, such as London’s 5,000 capacity Brixton Academy. Spurred on, Given to the Wild (2012) pushed the boundaries further, and was rewarded with a Mercury Prize nomination and a No.4 spot on the UK album charts. The album’s lead single, “Pelican,” with its lush guitar textures and dynamic shifts, won Best Contemporary Song at the prestigious Ivor Novello Awards.

The Maccabees’ fourth album, Marks to Prove It arrived in 2015 and heralded the band’s breakup the following year, which was accompanied by a farewell tour culminating in three euphoric sold-out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace. Since then, several of the band members have gone onto have successful solo careers, not least frontman Orlando Weeks, whose talents have extended to writing and illustrating children’s books, as well as continuing to produce music under his own name. Felix White, meanwhile, joined Greg James and and former England international cricketer on the Tailenders podcast.

Despite their disbandment, The Maccabees’ indie rock legacy lived on in their music, with fans eagerly awaiting news of a reunion. This finally came when the band were announced as the first headliners of All Points East 2025.