The Maccabees say goodbye at Alexandra Palace

Let’s take a millennial test- what do The Maccabees mean to you? Maybe you had your heart broken to ‘No Kind Words’, patched it back up with ‘Toothpaste Kisses’ or simply had an amazing summer pissing about with your mates to the sound of ‘About Your Dress’. Whatever the sentiment, something about the group’s wide-eyed depiction of youth captured hearts with a kindness and vulnerability most bands are afraid to express. Even while the music matured, the sentiment was always the same; this was a gang who’d make sure that you’d grow up alright. 14 years into their career, tonight’s final ever Maccabees show takes place at the fittingly epic Alexandra Palace, just shy of a year since they first announced the decision to pull things to a close. Whether it’s the time that has passed or the overwhelming turnout to the tour, the evening has an air of the all-or-nothing about it – there is simply no other option for both band and fan than to put every ounce of what they have into this final dance. As a result, The Maccabees have never sounded better. Opening with fan favourite ‘Wall Of Arms’, Brothers White thrash their guitars with ecstasy while Orlando lets every word linger in his delicate delivery, hanging onto the notes as if savouring how they taste in his mouth for one last time. Punctuated by only small murmurs of thanks and the roar of the crowd, it feels surreal to bid such familiar songs adieu one by one – ‘Latchmere’, ‘X-Ray’, ‘Precious Time’…even a spine-tinglingly rare outing of ‘Lego’ that sees Weeks’ jaw tremble during a particularly cruel lyric; ‘Cross the road and say goodbye/there wasn’t a dry eye’. We all have to grow up eventually, and as the evening draws to its unfortunate close, Felix takes upon the necessary speech, thanking ‘everybody who’s ever looked after us’ before beckoning some ‘special people who’ve joined us on this journey’ to the stage. Cue a trip right back to 2007 – Mystery Jets and Jack Peñate crowd on stage to bellow along to ‘Something Like Happiness’, a newer track but one that beautifully summarises tonight’s understanding that all good things must come to an end. It’s a euphoric closer to the main set, confetti cannons streaming as they visibly struggle to keep it together for the final stretch. The last leg is a thriller. A riotous take on ‘Marks To Prove It’ (featuring old pal Jamie T), an emotional double-header of ‘First Love’/’Toothpaste Kisses’ and the head rush of ‘Pelican’, and it’s suddenly all over. A thank you beams wide across the stage, bows are taken and then they are gone, the only remnant a sweat-drenched floor and the refrain of ‘Something Like Happiness’ picking up again for it’s final chorus, carried like a football chant across the city by the leaving hordes; ‘You just know when you know, you just know’. All in attendance have been gifted the fondest of farewells – Maccabees, you will be missed. <em>Photos: Tom Pullen</em>