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The Maccabees Talk Touring With Mumford And Sons And Their Forthcoming Record

Joyce Jude Lee |
May 21, 2015 | 9:58 a.m. PDT

Music Editor

@themaccabees)
@themaccabees)
Cult favorites The Maccabees are back. Having been a band for just over ten years, the British rockers will release their fourth studio album, "Marks To Prove It" on July 31, having released three critically acclaimed albums in the past decade. 

Their latest single off of the forthcoming record, “Marks To Prove It,” is immense. 

This June, the band will play shows all across America and embark on a string of dates with Mumford And Sons, and will also be a special guest on several dates of Mumford’s Gentlemen Of The Road stopovers (read on for ticket links and dates). 

The band recently took the time answer some lingering questions I had about the making of the latest record as well as their plans for the forthcoming months. 

INTERVIEW:

NT: It’s been about three years since we last heard from the band—it’s very exciting to have another The Maccabees album out soon. I'm very much looking forward to it! What was the process of making this album, was it any different than how the three previous albums were made? Did the band's approach to this album differ from the previous ones?

The Maccabees: Thanks, yes it has taken a while but it always does!  Every time the process is different and i guess the reason it takes a while is trying to find a way of working that fits what we are trying to achieve. We spent the first writing sessions working as we did on 'Given to the Wild', we spent a lot of time writing demos on computers and passing the files around the band as they developed. However that really ran into a dead end on this record, we then decided to put a ban on computer demos that generally involve quite complex projects with us. By doing this it allowed us to really focus on the songs in a traditional sense, we went back to being a band in a room with our instruments. It meant we could simplfy our pallet of sounds again, having a piano in the room also helped setting the tone for a few key tracks. 

Once we were up an running like that it all began to fall into place. This is the first record we have made fully in our own studio, I also produced the record which was a new scenario for all of us. 

NT: Having been a band for over ten years now, how/where do you guys find inspiration from culture/the music industry/each other to keep things exciting and new?

The Maccabees:That's a difficult question, i think we started off not knowing where the inspiration for this record was coming from. Gradually as we began to settle back into life in South London i think we found inspiration in that itself. In terms of the music industry and current trends we tend to switch off to that and focus on working for ourselves.

NT: “Marks To Prove It” is a stunning track—is the rest of the new record going to offer similar sounds or is there a lot of variety, in your minds?

The Maccabees:Thanks! As a track it contains quite a few different moods and scenes that do re-occur on the record, however the rest of the record doesn't follow the same suit as the track itself. Part of the process in writing this record was about trying to find common theme bettween extreemly varied ideas, the record is definitely a journey and hopefully an un expected one. 

NT: The band put out a video called “—/—/—/-,” and not much happens, could you address some of the mystery behind that? Will there be other similar videos out soon?

The Maccabees: That was a bit of a mistake! Keep being asked about it but we had no idea it had been uploaded. Nothing to see there!

It's apparently a time lapse of the set from a video shoot. There is more to come on the visual front but it won't be a boring as that video is!

NT: The band will be on the road with amazing bands like Mumford and Sons—what are you most excited about regarding that run of shows? Are you a fan of any bands on the Gentlemen of The Road bill?

The Maccabees: Yes, they are friends of ours so it will be a pleasure to play those shows. The Gentlemen of The Road lineups are always well put together. I believe My Morning Jacket are amongst it this time round. "Circuital" is a great record, i've listened to that a lot recently. 

NT: What/who do you think is the most exciting thing about music these days? Where do you think the future of music is headed? 

The Maccabees: Thats a tough one also! I think it's an exciting time for music, although it may not always seem so espicially when mainstream pop culture seems to dominate the airwaves. There is always great music being made, you just have to search for it. Recently i've fallen in love with an instrumental record made by Daniel Lanois called "Flesh and Machine," thats pretty exciting. I have no idea where it's all headed but that's the beauty of it. 

Quick fire questions:

NT: What’s your favorite festival to play?

The Maccabees: Reading Festival

NT: Touring or recording?

The Maccabees: Recording

NT: Last google search?

The Maccabees:Lexicon Primetime Model 93

NT: One tour essential you always have with you?

The Maccabees: Laptop

--

Catch The Maccabees in America this June!

NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINING TOUR DATES

06/04 - The Mod Club – Toronto, ON* - TICKETS

06/09 - Le Poisson Rouge - New York, NY* - TICKETS

06/13 - U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC* - TICKETS

06/18 - Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN* - TICKETS

06/19 - Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL* - TICKETS

MUMFORD AND SONS SUPPORT & FESTIVAL TOUR DATES

06/02 - MCU Park - Coney Island – Brooklyn, NY**

06/03 - MCU Park - Coney Island - Brooklyn, NY**

06/06 - Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Festival - Seaside Heights, NJ***

06/08 - Xfinity Center – Mansfield, MA**

06/10 - Merriweather Post Pavilion – Columbia, MD**

06/11 - Walnut Creek Amphitheatre – Raleigh, NC**

06/15 - The Commons at Bulter's - Niagra-on-the-Lake, ON**

06/16 - DTE Energy Music Theater – Clarkson, MI**

06/17 - Montrose Beach & Park Chicago, IL**

06/20 - Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Festival - Waverly, IA***

10/2-4 – Austin City Limits Music Festival – Austin, TX

10/9-11 – Austin City Limits Music Festival – Austin, TX

**Supporting Mumford & Sons 

*** Gentlemen of the Road Stopover Festival w/ Mumford & Sons

Reach Music Editor Joyce Lee here.



 

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