There is love, there is lust.

Call out the soft sound, the four letter word.... devoured. Call it out.

All caught up and love struck.

Seventeen Hands

And I will love you better I will love you better I will love you better..................every time I listen to this song I get a little lump in my throat and feel like a big softy all over again. This album is one that opens up a million memories and feelings for me of the past few years, happy ones of course! When we went to LoveBox festival in London and saw Maccabees headlining it was one of the sunniest festival type nights you could ask for, grass stains on our clothes, paint all over our faces arms and legs and I think me and Emily even sported a daisy chain headband for most of that day. The Maccabees were so fitting for that sort of venue and it was a massive treat for me to watch one of my all time favourite bands in such good company. I have to mention just for Emily seeing the most beautiful girl EVER and her gorgeous hat who we stole from a group of girls and adopted naming her Dems' girlfriend for that entire evening!

Their set was amazing, everyone in the crowd jumped when they jumped and say every lyric back to the band, I remember even singing the music bits and singing “dooo doooo dooooooo CAN YOU GIVE IT” to a randomer, funny how a few too many vodka redbulls can fill you with 10 times your confidence ey!

I remember the lead singer wearing a denim shirt and a kind of hiphop looking hat (my brother would know the name of it!) – he just looked very cool, after glancing at the band for a few minutes I turned back to my friends and I think we all put our arms around one another in a big circle (because of the album "Wall of Arms" I think? lol... singing our hearts out……Forever the hippies! Ha, but like I said….Vodka Redbulls and Pimms!

After the festival we went to a very cool but odd party, it was like one of those things you see on American telly. The posh boy outside his big house saying “sorry who are you? I don’t know you? You’re not coming in” and our big group responding with “Woo spring break!!!” and carrying a beer keg past him! Apparently one of us knew him anyway, not me… I just snuck in and was poured a very large drink by a very handsome looking chap. He later told me to meet him in the bathroom to tell me a secret and kissed me as soon as I walked in, I wouldn’t usually share things like that…but I found it very smooth! Was a plus point of the party… bad point of the party? Being offered cocaine by a random at the party (guess where he was from – wakefield! Why was he in London? CHAV!) and seeing a girl inject only what I can imagine was heroin into herself at the party…Stranggeeee people.

The first album Colour it in always felt too young for me, I liked songs like "First Love"....the line "with toothpaste kisses, and lines...I'll be yours and you'll be mine" gets me every time, feeling overcome with romantic thoughts! But the rest of the album I associated with these two lads I knew at the time from college who thought THEY were the Maccabees and did my head in........so I ignored this band for a while (sorry Maccabees!) until they released this last album Wall of Arms. I felt like their sound had matured and they were much more in their own! Anyone agree with me? Possibly not but I enjoyed it much more than their early stuff work!

Songs like William Powers and Seventeen Hands are songs that put this album above the rest.............I know that in twenty years time I can pick this album up and still like it as much as I do now. Relaxed and ever so slightly romantic, they have one me over!

I’d also like to say that the lyrics :

“If you’ve got no kind words to say you should say nothing more at all” 

are very fitting for me right now…….I really want everyone to appreciate what they’ve got, family…friends…the fact that we’re in our twenties and life isn’t that bad! I’ve had to deal with enough upset in my teens and recently when I lost my grandparents, so just take a step back and appreciate those people that love you…………….hippy talk over, 

"Lets kiss and resolve"

whack this album on – which I will soon be buying on vinyl after my lovely Nanna has just bought me a record player for my 21^st and given me all her old LPs!

They’re a cracking band and bloody brilliant live…. Hope to see them at Benicassim this year, are they there? We shall see!

FiftysAtHeart xx

PS. Next post will be on Justice as some guy who is like in love with me won’t stop buzzing about them…..last note: D’angelo is shite!