The Maccabees play emotional and triumphant homecoming reunion set at All Points East 2025

25 August 2025, 12:42 | Updated: 18 November 2025, 16:56

The London five-piece reigned victorious at the Victoria Park festival, delivering a powerful and emotional set with Jamie T as their surprise guest.

The Maccabees played a truly enthralling set at All Points East 2025 last night (Sunday 24th August).

After a day of stellar crowd-pleasing performances from the likes of The Cribs, CMAT and Bombay Bicycle Club, the London five-piece - made up of Orlando Weeks, Felix White, Hugo White, Rupert Jarvis, Sam Doyle - took to the stage (with the help of a few friends) to deliver an emotional and electrifying performance on the festival's main stage.

Talking to the East stage at precisely 8.45pm, the band were welcomed to thunderous cheers as they launched into early favourites Latchmere, Lego and X-Ray - all taken from Colour It In, their debut LP.

Though Maccabees' fans were some of the more mature audiences to descend on Victoria Park this weekend, thoughts of DIY projects, mortgages, and babysitters were cast aside as fans re-lived their bacchic youths - flinging drinks up in the air, forming mini mosh-pits and singing their (somewhat dry) lungs out to everything from Colour It In's Precious Time to the Marks To Prove It banger Spit It Out.

It wasn't all jeering and chanting though, with Orlando's haunting vocals on the likes of 2009's Love You Better and 2015's Something Like Happiness providing that frog-in-your-throat feeling that might just overflow into tears.

Not even the worryingly thick dust (and a couple of moments in which the sound cut out) could dampen the spirits of the crowd... though ironically a little downpour may have helped a few sore throats this morning...

Unsurprisingly, Felix - the guitarist and most outspoken member of the group - did most of the talking on stage, whipping the crowds up into a frenzy, demanding energy and crowd-participation throughout and telling fans to sing along, clap along, lift up their hands and jump to their heart's content.

"...To be here in front of all of you, honestly it's like being on another planet," he gushed. "It is the best feeling in the whole f***ing world."

"And we came back to do this for a reason, right," he added. "We want to make this, TONIGHT the best Maccabees show ever by a distance, but you've got to come with us, yeah? You gonna come with us?

"So what you've got to do for the rest of this evening is sing every song you know that means anything to you. F***ing LOUD!"

However, Orlando - the ever shy and retiring frontman - was as present and vocal as perhaps he'd ever been, giving his own speech thanking the crowds for taking a 'gamble' on them.

Admitting he's a man of few words, Orlando showed his gratitude for the support after the date was announced, adding: "All of you bought tickets. You gambled. You thought, 'Yeah we'll go and see that. They haven't played for eight years. We'll go and do that... It sounds good...'

"It's unbelievable. You took that risk, you paid that money and you put your faith in the love you have for our band and the love that you had for the occasion that this might be. It's amazing. It is amazing."

He went on: "It's not lost on us and we want to say a huge thank you for being the gamblers that you are. Thank you!"

It's hard to pick out just one 'precious' moment from the set, but undoubtedly the surprise appearance of friend and fellow south Londoner Jamie T was up there.

The Wimbledon bard accompanied the band on an absolutely epic performance of their Marks To Prove It single, before they joined forces to treat the crowds to a rendition of his iconic 2009 hit, Sticks 'n' Stones, which... as one can imagine... sent the audience rightfully berserk.

The Maccabees & Jamie T - Sticks 'n' Stones at All Points East 2025

If fans weren't already emotional 17 songs into their set, then their encore and return to perform their breakthrough alt ballad, Toothpaste Kisses, topped off the all-out indie love-in expected from the evening, earlier provided by its album mate First Love.

It's not strictly their neck of the woods, but it truly felt like band had come home. And - those who had watched their Glasto set at home with envy - were no doubt slightly vindicated in waiting for this most special of nights to witness their 'official' reunion. After all, it was the date they'd first announced... and never playing All Points East festival before only served to make the show even more special.

So, was their set homecoming set at All Points East Festival worth the wait? Absolutely. The Maccabees left us in 2017 at the top of their game and their homecoming reunion London show saw them exceed ALL expectations.

Yes, the nostalgia was very much dialled up to (20)11, but the band - who are very much loved and very much missed - still seem to make so much sense today.

As they ended their transcendent set on Given To The Wild's filmic album-ender Grew Up At Midnight, followed by rousing live-favourite Pelican - one thing was clear. The Maccabees aren't just a fluke of their era, but a band of seriously talented musicians, who are a crucial part of the indie rock pantheon.

We're not quite sure what the future holds for this band beyond their reunion shows, but there's definitely plenty of people ready and willing to hear it.

Read more:

• How Adele became The Maccabees' wedding singer...
• The Maccabees' Felix White admits "it's tempting" to make new music with the band

The Maccabees' setlist at All Points East 2025:

1. Latchmere
2. Lego
3. X-Ray
4. Feel to Follow
5. Kamakura
6. William Powers
7. Wall of Arms
8. First Love
9. Love You Better (Interrupted)
10. Precious Time
11. Can You Give It
12. Spit It Out
13. Silence
14. No Kind Words
15. Marks to Prove It (with Jamie T)

16. Sticks 'N' Stones (with Jamie T)
17. Something Like Happiness

Encore:

18. Toothpaste Kisses
19. Grew Up at Midnight
20. Pelican

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