Live Report: The Maccabees captivate The Academy in soul-stirring reunion show

Even before The Maccabees took the stage at The Academy on Sunday evening, there was a palpable sense of attainment that seemed to glow over the crowd. That gentle incandescence of fulfilment became a brilliant blaze of joy when the five members of the band entered in leaps and bounds, met with a cacaphony of cheers. Each member of the band beamed a sincere grin – as they should, with a reception so enthusiastic it'd be easy to forget The Maccabees hadn't performed in Ireland for nearly a decade.

As they kicked off their set with peppy indie rock tune 'Latchmere,' the mix of personalities in the band was clear: Brother guitarists Felix and Hugo White egged on the crowd to dance, bassist Rupert Jarvis thrashed about while ripping out an upbeat bassline and drummer Sam Doyle cheered along while putting down a catchy rhythm. Singer Orlando Weeks seemed more introspective, staring out at the crowd with a proud glint in his eye.

"Absolutely nothing had changed, so I stayed in your lane," sang Weeks in 'Latchmere'. "Absolutely fuck all had changed." Ironically, plenty have things have changed. As Felix remarked, "To be honest with you, we're all 20 fucking years older and a lot of you are as well."

The Maccabees at the Academy on August 17th, 2025. Copyright Jason Doherty/ hotpress.com

As they shifted seamlessly into 'Lego', Weeks sang, "You crossed the road, said goodbye, there wasn't a dry eye." Entirely untrue of the crowd, to whom the band said goodbye nine years prior. Some fans came dressed in shirts from The Maccabees' 2017 Farewell Tour with eyes that were far from dry.

The first two songs both came from the band's 2007 debut album Colour It In, which was certified gold and put them on the map. They followed those up with an even earlier throwback in 2005 debut single 'X-Ray'. Though they moved on to later works, starting their set with nostalgia to their early days hit the heart especially hard.

They performed various pieces of their discography, weaving between the late 2000s and early 2010s and correspondingly between sonic eras. Their sound undulates from soft, tender tones to resounding, heart-wrenching peaks and back down again in the same song, particularly on display with 'William Powers', where the band was warmly cast in purple lighting that switched to teal and then gold as the mood of the song changed from joy to reflection to energy.

The Maccabees at the Academy on August 17th, 2025. Copyright Jason Doherty/ hotpress.com

In a break after 'William Powers', the band took a moment to speak to the crowd during which Felix acknowledged the massive brit-pop elephant in the room: their gig coincided with a fellow reunited band's second night at Croke Park.

"We want to put this song out to the man in the Oasis t-shirt in the front row," said Felix, to laughter from the audience and whoops from the man in question. "Wrong gig? Right gig." No one seemed too phased by the mention; though Oasis-mania was all the rage in Dublin, what stuck out about the crowd at The Academy was their devotion. There is no one they'd rather see.

The Maccabees changed the subject with flashing green strobe lights and a roaring guitar line as they launched into 'Wall of Arms'. During the chorus, a warm light shifted from the band onto the crowd, who sang proudly along, "She's my one and only, if I'm the seed they've grown me, they who are my army, the wall of arms around me."

Following 'Wall of Arms', Felix put down his guitar and spoke to the crowd. "We never thought we'd be playing in Dublin again so I just want to say, for the next whatever it is we're playing for, 45 minutes, we just want it to be the best Maccabees set ever in Dublin," Felix said.

The Maccabees at the Academy on August 17th, 2025. Copyright Jason Doherty/ hotpress.com

Two love songs followed: 'Love You Better' and 'First Love'. In the latter, soft pink lighting cast over the band as they joyfully sang, "Let's get married!" The lyric recalled what reunited the band in the first place: Hugo's wedding in 2020. At the time, the band hadn't all stood in the same room since their final performance years ago, let alone performed together. But with a spark of hope and love, Hugo invited Weeks to join them in performing at the ceremony. And sure enough, he did. Reconnecting after the wedding ultimately led to their reunion and more importantly, the rekindling of a friendship that shone through in bright smiles as Jarvis and Felix leaned on each other for the guitar riffs in 'First Love'.

There was something quite poetic about the bliss with which they performed after so many years apart. Between personal stress, political turmoil, tragic crises across the globe and suffering seemingly at every turn, passion can sometimes fall away. Joy, friendship and peace all can seem out of reach. The Maccabees know that feeling well— as Weeks told Hot Press earlier this month, the end of their 2010s run left them weary and frustrated. But the wedding gave them hope for a future. Their return to the stage gave them a renewed love for performing. Sure enough, on they went, spreading joy with every note.

Weeks promised that the band is making sure not to repeat their mistake of burning out again. They're leaning into the love, with the lone goal of finishing this tour with a smile. And surely, if they're as full of joy as they were at The Academy, there will be nothing but smiles for the rest of the run.

The mood shifted with their emotional ballad 'Spit It Out.' Pale purple lighting and soft piano movements lent to an almost eerie atmosphere, compounded with Weeks' soulful vocals. Covering his face with his hands, Weeks sang, "Oh what are we doing now, what are we doing now?" The sorrowful tone continued as the light cast down a deep blue during 'Silence'.

The Maccabees at the Academy on August 17th, 2025. Copyright Jason Doherty/ hotpress.com

However, it's hard to be sad at a Maccabees gig. Especially not as they launch into 'No Kind Words'. "If you've got no kind words to say, you should say nothing more at all," sang Weeks, though the audience had nothing but kind words to say to the band. One audience member screamed, "I love you, Orlando!" at the song's conclusion, earning a laugh from Weeks.

After bringing the energy back up with 'Marks to Prove It', Weeks took his turn speaking to the crowd. "This is the first one of the run-up to All Points East," he said, referring to the festival headliner serving as the culmination point of the tour. "It's a big gamble for you to buy a ticket to something you haven't seen in a very long time, and we're well aware of that so we appreciate it."

"It's a show of faith," he added softly, a gentle transition into a song about faith: 'Something Like Happiness', which could be considered the anthem of their set. To booming drums, uplifting guitar strums and a soaring chorus of vocals from every member of the band plus every member of the crowd, hearing 'Something Like Happiness' live felt like coming home.

The audience continued singing the chorus as the band stepped off the stage before their inevitable encore – after all, you can't have The Maccabees without 'Pelican' or 'Toothpaste Kisses'. Their last few songs were perhaps the most beloved of their discography, and Felix made it known how much performing them meant.

"We really thought that we'd never play these songs again, so it's the greatest thing in the world to be stood in front of you playing them," said Felix before asking, "Has this been the best ever Maccabees gig in Dublin or what?" With the chorus of cheers in response, there was no doubt about it.

The Maccabees have never been better.