INTERVIEW: The Maccabees

Precariously warm for a spring evening, the Maccabees bassist Rupert Jarvis talks on the band's headline tour, the new album and what is so good about British summertime before their sold out show in Nottingham Rescue Rooms.

Hello Maccabees, You are in Nottingham half way through your headline tour - hows it going so far?

Yeah, we started in March and had a break in April to do a few video shoots for the new single and weve got another two week leg now in May.

Good to be back on the road then?

Yeah we are all really excited, its been a long time since we were last on tour so its a good feeling to be playing gigs for people every night again. Playing the new songs as well, on the last big tour we only had our old material, which had run its course - so its definately good to be playing new songs.


Your album came out on monday (4th MAY). How long did it take to write? Is the 2nd album as difficult as they say?

Definatley, we found it really tough especially on inter-band relationships. For your first record, you have got your whole lifetime to write it before youve got a record deal and we spent about four years doing that and when we finished touring - to sit down and just concentrate on writing its a very different thing. Instead of rehearsing and maybe finding time to write a song afterwards, its 5 days a week of
writing. Very Stressful.


Where did you record the new album? Is it true you recorded it in different cities?

Yeah, we wanted to get away for a few weeks and there was a good studio in Paris that our producer Markus Dravs (Arcade Fire, Bjork) knew of, but before that we did a few weeks in Liverpool to record the drums, and then recorded everything else in a studio in Lincolnshire to get the best sound we could. Then after Christmas we were at studios in Reading to finish mixing the album, so we have been around.


The Album is seen as being slightly darker than debut ‘Colour It In'
Your song 'No Kind Words' one of your darker songs - What inspired it?

Yeah, its hard for me to say but 'No Kind Words' started with some of Orlando's vocal melodies and he had all the lyrics layed out, so we knew right from the start that it was going to be a darker song. Theres a lot of different sounds and influences but yeah, its definately the darkest on the new record.



Your latest single 'Love You Better' features a brass section - What made you decide to use new instruments on album?

When we were writing the record we thought it would be great to have not just guitars on the album. On 'Colour It In' we had a few tracks with horn parts, but its a lot more promenant on 'Love You Better'. When recording the album we wanted to put horns on everything and see where it worked, but it definately gives some of the tracks more body when youve got that. Its great that we have them come up and play
live for the bigger shows like in London last night we had the guys come in for the last song.



It is good to see Orlando taking on some guitar duties live, was that an intended move?

Yeah, he brought that about - he was quite bored of just singing and he can play, so why not! Its brought a new dimension to the songs he plays on, so it think it has worked out pretty well for us, especially for our live performance.


What does the next few months (summer 2009) have in store for The Maccabees? you make a return to reading and leeds this year?

Yeah weve got quite a lot lined up after this tour.We going to Europe for a couple of weeks, which we didnt get to do on the last record and then touring the album in America for two weeks, which we haven't done before. There's a few festivals like Isle of Wight, Glastonbury and yeah, Reading/Leeds that we are doing, which is always great to do, theres nothing better than playing festivals in British summertime! Reading and Leeds 07 was definately the height of our career so far, so I cant wait to go back and play again.

Interview By Thomas Warmsley