insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 09 - November 2015 | Page 18

ARTS+ENTERTAINMENT

insideSUSSEX EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

ORLANDO WEEKS OF THE MACCABEES
We caught up with The Maccabees lead singer and guitarist, Orlando Weeks, for a chat
about their number one album and a return to familiar grounds, heading back to Brighton to
showcase their new album at Brighton Dome. I N T E R V I E W B Y A D A M R E A D Y

Congratulations on your fourth album,
Marks To Prove It, going to number one in
the UK album chart back in July. How did
you and the guys celebrate?
Thank you! we were on an aeroplane to
Bucharest going to a play festival!
So it was a celebration at 20,000ft?
Nearly. We were sitting on those
uncomfortable seats waiting for that ‘would
row 26-something-or-other come to the desk,
open your passport on the right page’, and
oh, you’re No.1! It was good, we’d never been
to Romania before and it was great, we had a
really nice time and they really looked after us
out there.
The 3rd single from the album, “Spit it
Out”, was recently released. Has this been
your best work to date?
I think it’s been the strongest set of singles
we’ve ever had; I think all three of the songs fit
pretty easily into a festival set, and that speaks
volumes, and they have gone down well over
the summer festivals.
“Toothpaste Kisses” was picked up by
Samsung for an advert campaign in
2007, now with over 10.7 million plays
on Spotify. Did you imagine the impact it
would have?
I don’t know how much is to do with the
commercial, but I definitely didn’t think it would
be like that. I wrote it on a tiny half-size guitar
on a tour bus somewhere, and ended up using
that guitar on the actual track.

We were nervous about using it on an advert
because it would get associated with that, but
it didn’t get shown enough for that to happen,
although I remember doing a gig in Belfast
and a girl came up to ask for a light and said,
“Oh I quite like the Maccabees (she didn’t
know I was in them...) but they’ve got this
awful saccharine, nonsense song, Toothpaste
Kisses, and I just leave when they play that
one!” I’m sure that song has done good and
harm in equal measure.
Studying in a thriving music town at
University of Brighton, what were your
favourite venues to hang out in?
I loved The Freeb (The legendary Freebutt)—
it was sad when that went. That was my
favourite place to see a gig and play a gig.
We’d done two or three gigs before playing
Brighton, but that definitely b ecame the first
place where people started queuing to come
and see us play rather than just our mates!
So you’re back showcasing the new album
at Brighton Dome on 23rd November, are
we in for any treats?
Yeah, I think we are going to change the
lineup a little bit; I think we’re going to have
a percussionist, a single brass player and
Rebecca playing the piano. We’re going to
try and find a way to play as much of the new
record without sacrificing the option of playing
some of our old songs and it’s going to be one
of the first times we’ll be playing some of the
new songs too, so we’ll be finding our feet a bit
but it will keep us on our toes!

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I think anytime we play in Brighton it feels
like we’re playing to a friendly crowd and The
Dome is great. I remember seeing Kings Of
Leon there, and sneaking ‘round the back with
our passes to see some of Skepta backstage,
and I’m hoping it’s going to be the same vibe.
How was your appearance on Jools
Holland, how is it doing TV?
It’s an odd thing to do because you’re trying
very hard to sustain the atmosphere of the
song you’re playing, but could come before
or after a completely different atmosphere. It’s
pressured but I think we did alright!
Where do you find inspiration for your
lyrics?
When I’m doing the lyrics I’m trying to find little
phrases or words that I can build around. I’m
going to spend a lot of time with these lyrics,
that's the way I think about it. I need to feel like
they are substantial enough to me in terms of
what they mean or that they are worth thinking
about for a long time, and I’m not going to get
sick of them or question their sincerity.
What’s next for The Macabees?
We’re off to America and Mexico for most of
October, and then were back to start trekking
around the UK including Brighton in November.
www.themaccabees.co.uk
@themaccabees