The Maccabees' Orlando Weeks: "What's been such a pleasure is not feeling like we were towards the end of Maccabees, that all-or-nothingness that made it so claustrophobic"

How does a band go from chart-topping albums to disbanding for a decade to joyful festival headliners? If you ask The Maccabees, it's everyone's favourite four-letter word: love.

Let's rewind.

The Maccabees — the London five-piece, not the biblical warriors — had a wildly successful run as one of the most beloved names in indie rock from 2004 to 2017. Their four critically acclaimed albums Colour It In (2007), Wall of Arms (2009), Given to the Wild (2012) and Marks to Prove It (2015) were all certified silver and gold. They were nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2012 and 2013 single 'Pelican' won Best Contemporary Song at the Ivor Novello Awards. They headlined tours and festivals in all four corners of the earth.

But after 13 years, something broke. On a dreary day in August 2016, The Maccabees called it quits.

All seemed lost. That is, until last October, when the band cleared their social media and updated their website. Suddenly, the fire was back: after nine years apart, The Maccabees announced they would play again.

What lit the match? Guitarist Hugo White's wedding in February 2020.

White invited friends and peers (notably including Adele, Florence Welch and Jamie T) and, with the vague wonder if The Maccabees could perform 'Pelican' at the party, a save-the-date was sent to singer Orlando Weeks. The band hadn't stood in the same room since their final performance years ago. Mr. and Mrs. White weren't sure Weeks would accept the invitation. But lo and behold, he did.

"I'm not brilliant with lots of people in a small space," Weeks tells Hot Press. "That, plus standing up and singing in front of people. And it's slightly weirder since a lot of the people at that wedding were the same people who were at very early Maccabees gigs. So there was a slightly odd sense of time capsule to it."

But in the moment, Weeks was only focused on the present.

"I wanted it to be just right for Hugo and his wife. And then helping Adele off the stage to then go up on the same stage— as much as we've known her since we were young, it's still slightly surreal," he recalls. "But it was very nice. We had a good time, I sat outside and smoked lots of cigarettes with Jamie T, who's very good company. We saw lots of people we hadn't seen for a while, so it was like all weddings really, with some added jeopardy and joy."

The wedding led to their reconnection, which led to their reunion in 2025. The Maccabees returned to the stage with a handful of smaller shows, plus some slightly larger stages like oh, I don't know, Glastonbury.

As they prep for a run of gigs in Ireland and the UK, starting this weekend at Dublin's The Academy, Weeks opens up about the revival of The Maccabees.

"My son had come over from Portugal for Glasto," he recounts. "It was the first time he'd seen us play and the first time he heard me sing. I spent less time going to other gigs and more time with him. He got very into the Helter Skelter, so I did that about 1,000 times and then it was time for the gig. I didn't see a lot of music, but I got very well accustomed to the Helter Skelter."

And what was that seven-year-old critic's take on the show?

"He's sort of a non-plus style reviewer, I would say. But there was enough of a glint in the eye that I think he liked it," says Weeks with a laugh.

A shining review. Glastonbury is a massive stage to return to, though. One has to wonder what it's like to come back to festival headliners after so many years apart.

"I have a funny memory of those big stages with Maccabees, which is that by the time we were doing those really big shows and headlining festivals, nearly 10 years ago, I had a sort of stage fright. I remember them as events that I had to get through and I don't remember them with much joy. But this time around, I had a really good time. There was a bit of relief, and also a revelation that this is what people talk about in terms of loving being on stage."

Did Weeks not enjoy performing live?

"It's never really been my reason for doing any of the stuff around making music. I love writing songs, and I love finding the confidence and stamina to finalise a song and get it over the line. Playing and performing is just part of the job," he confesses. "I'd say it's a new revelation to me that performing can be that much of a pleasure."

So plenty of things have changed. But as a band, some things must have remained the same. Many musical acts have signature pre-show rituals that keep them grounded throughout their careers: Coldplay have a group hug, Robert Plant irons his shirts, Foo Fighters squaff a few Jägerbombs. The Maccabees? A healthy dose of mid-2000s rock.

"There's a moment before a show — and I remember this from 10 years ago as well — where there's a very nice moment of crossover. We all have pretty varied tastes in music, but there's about five or six songs that lock us in as a pre-show and have a unifying effect on us all," he explains. "We still listen to some Interpol, we still listen to bits of In Rainbows, we still listen to the same bands, so that's stayed the same. Those songs have stayed the 'last 15 minutes before stage time' songs."

Was that very needed before a show, back in the old days?

"We'd been playing for so long and so many gigs that I was in my head a lot. The run-up to a gig started feeling a bit weary. But that isn't there anymore, because there's this newness of playing again that is really palpable. There's this slightly amorphous newness feeling that is part of every pre-show at the moment."

Let's get to those new shows. After a few gigs around mainland Europe, The Maccabees are preparing for a run across Ireland and the UK with Dublin first on the list. It's a short tour, with only six shows on the docket. Fans are led to wonder what will come next. Does the band have any big goals?

"Part of what's made it all make sense has been that our only target is to do this run and finish on a high," he asserts. "After that, we'll give each other lots of time and then see how we feel as a band, whether we want to do anything else. I feel very confident we won't rush into anything because what's been such a pleasure is not feeling like we were towards the end of Maccabees, that all-or-nothingness that made it so claustrophobic and took the pleasure out of it."

Fans can rest assured knowing The Maccabees are entirely focused on the present. This weekend's gigs will be their first performance in a month and Weeks says the anticipatory energy is already electric, declaring, "I think they'll be the best shows we've done in Dublin."

Deservingly so — they've been getting ready for ten years.

The Maccabees (with special guests Sorry) will play The Academy in Dublin on August 17 and 18.