FESTIVAL favourites The Maccabees have had a long and busy summer.
After releasing their second album Wall of Arms in the run up to festival season, the indie five-piece have had wall to wall al-fresco gigs to cope with.
Amid preparations for an appearance at Leeds Academy on October 10 Fresh managed to stir lead guitarist Hugo White from his well deserved slumber to get the lowdown on how the festival circuit had gone.
Fresh: How was festival season for you?
Hugo: “It was amazing for us, it’s probably the most festivals we have ever done. We did a lot in Europe.”
Fresh: Where was the best festival?
Hugo: “The responses we got at festivals in England were pretty incredible, they were some of the biggest crowds we have ever played to.
“The most amazing was probably one we played in the Swiss Alps, but playing Glastonbury’s Other Stage was also pretty cool.”
Fresh: What about the Leeds Festival?
Hugo: “Leeds felt like home. We’ve always had proper support in Leeds.”
Fresh: How are you coping with the slog of touring?
Hugo: “We’ve spent so long writing this record, touring is just as important as writing. You’ve got to get out on the road and play it. It doesn’t even really feel like a job.”
Fresh: Do you get tired of playing the same old songs?
Hugo: “We change it up a bit, there’s still songs off this record that we haven’t played yet but we will do at the gigs in October.”
Fresh: Do you have anything special lined up for the autumn tour?
Hugo: “It’s kind of exciting, we’ve got a brass section playing with us on this UK tour. It’s nice to be able to pick and choose from both records, it doesn’t feel like we have to slog through old songs.”
Fresh: Are you taking a well deserved rest after that?
Hugo: “Two days after the Leeds gig we’re off to a festival in Malawi. We’re the only English band going. Opportunities like that you don’t turn down, you don’t get to go to Malawi every day.
“After that we’ve got a really long tour in Europe supporting The Editors, then we’ll start to think about another record. It’s important to us to get another one out as quickly as possible.
“We thought the last one would only take a few months but it ended up taking two years.”
