The Maccabees

The Maccabees are an indie rock band from Brighton, United Kingdom, active from 2004 to 2017. The group’s line-up includes Orlando Weeks, Hugo White, Felix White, Rupert Jarvis and Sam Doyle, with Robert Dylan Thomas listed among the members connected to the band’s early history. The band’s sound sits within indie rock and rock.

Early formation and name

The Maccabees form in Brighton, and their name comes from Orlando Weeks flicking through the Bible and choosing a word at random. Despite the religious associations of the name, the band are not religious. Felix White and Hugo White are brothers, and Felix White also plays with Jack Peñate in Jack's Basement. Hugo White’s brother Will White fronts Talk Taxis.

Releases and label history

The band debut in 2004 with the You Make Noise I Make Sandwiches EP on Haircut Records. Their first single, X-Ray, appears on Promise Records, followed by Latchmere, which becomes a minor indie hit and is described as having a post-punk influence. Latchmere is released on Fierce Panda Records. The band then sign to Fiction Records, the Polydor imprint and former home of The Cure, for their first studio album, Colour It In. They also release the singles First Love, About Your Dress, Precious Time and Toothpaste Kisses from that album.

Albums

Wall of Arms, the second album, is produced by Markus Dravs, who has worked with Björk, Arcade Fire and Coldplay. It is recorded in several cities, including Liverpool and Paris. The band’s third album, Given To The Wild, is worked on at Rockfield Studios in Wales and at their rehearsal space in Elephant and Castle, London, before being finished in Suffolk. Their final album, Marks to Prove It, is released in 2015.

Line-up changes and split

Sam Doyle replaces Robert Dylan Thomas on drums, and Thomas leaves the band in 2008. The group announces that it is disbanding in August 2016 and plays farewell shows in 2017. In October 2024, it is announced that the band is reuniting.

Earlier use of the name

An earlier act using the name The Maccabees forms in 1998 and includes three-quarters of the long-defunct band Pohgoh. That version releases the six-track EP Songs from the Weakest Link on New Granada Records.