Five New Artists Who Can Help Beat Your Post-Maccabees Blues

It’s been a few days since The Maccabees announced their split but many are still in mourning over the loss of one of Britain’s best-loved guitar bands. Dry your eyes though; we’ve got a new crop of artists that could ease the pain. If you like The Maccabees, we reckon you might like these too.

Blaenavon

From: Hampshire
Sounds like: The Maccabees, funnily enough. The trio have been creating indie anthems since they were doing their GCSEs and now, fresh out of school, their sound is gargantuan. Expect ricocheting Foals-like guitars and vocals reminiscent of Maccabees frontman Orlando Weeks.
Top Track: ‘Hell Is My Head’: Tribal drums underpin this bid to be the most eardrum-shattering band around.

Courts

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From: Essex
Sounds like: Zane Lowe’s last ever Next Hype on BBC Radio 1 last year, Courts’ quick-witted lyrics nod to early Jamie T while their overzealous riffs recall 2007 Maccabees debut ‘Colour It In’. Beneath the layers of energetic guitars, their songs speak of defeatism and a hope of escaping their nine to five jobs. Keeping the DIY aesthetic for now, their wonky videos look like they could’ve been nicked from your parents’ VHS collection.
Top Track: ‘Glass Half Empty’: Upbeat, summery and giving pessimists a reason to smile. It’s a get up and go track for those seeking something more in life.

Read more: Essex Band, Courts, Discuss Being Endorsed By Elton John And Share Video For ‘Glass Half Empty’

Palace

From: London
Sounds like: The soundtrack to someone breaking off a two-week relationship on Made in Chelsea. The four-piece have some of the grandeur of Manchester’s much-missed Wu Lyf, and frontman Leo Wyndham’s quavering crooning touches on the more delicate work of The Maccabees’ last album ‘Marks To Prove It’. Palace’s debut album ‘So Long Forever’ is out in the autumn.
Top Track: ‘Head Above the Water’: It’s Palace at their most mature, tugging at strings that sound somewhere between Foals and The Last Shadow Puppets.

Declan McKenna

From: Hertfordshire
Sounds like: Indie pop! The 17-year-old McKenna broke through Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent competition in 2015, and has continued to impress with his kooky, Vampire Weekend-style songs. His music has shades of early Maccabees playfulness, singing about hard topics in a naïve, innocent manner. It’s similar to how the five-piece toyed around with ‘Lego’ and ‘Toothpaste Kisses.’
Top track: ‘Brazil’: The song that kicked off McKenna’s musical career is about corruption in governing body of association football, FIFA, and the controversy surrounding the Brazil World Cup. He may be a teenager, but he appears more eager to tackle hard issues than many of his elders.

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Read more: Declan McKenna Interviewed: ‘A Lot Of People Don’t Understand How Intelligent Young People Are’

High Tyde

From: Brighton
Sounds like: The Maccabees at their angriest. ‘No Kind Words’ was probably them at their most riled and the four-piece’s pumped up ‘Dark Side’ rivals it for sheer ire and energy. Their other tracks have more upbeat indie-pop fuzz, a hint of early Two Door Cinema Club. Their music is less intricate than that of The Maccabees, but closer to what’s in the pop charts.
Top Track: ‘Dark Side’: The track snarls and clatters around, breaking the conventions of typical indie music. It contains the thumping drums and beefed up guitars that so much of The Maccabees second album ‘Wall of Arms’ was moulded around.


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