The Maccabees' new album is the business. The kind of business that you listen to on the way to-and-from college, or work, for the proceeding week after purchasing. I believe it’s called the hit making business, and the reviews are there to back up the claim that, yes, this is a potentially monumental release.

The new album, Wall Of Arms was only released in May and received a reception not unlike the new Horrors album, Primary Colours. People couldn’t believe that the band had made good on their debut, and created a sophomore album that not only is a big move on for the group, but can hold its own against anything else released so far this year. The indie kids have left puberty, are wearing jeans made with more denim than elastic and their music is changing with them. This is big, brooding, atmospheric, reflective rock music.

So, wearing my love of the band on my sleeve, I walked into the Academy (after coming very close to tripping over the fancy velvet rope and having a quick chat with Rory from MCD - who is the thoroughly nice chap responsible for making sure some guy from Oxygen got on the guest list) and stood with my plastic pint, waiting to be hit with a great gig from one of my favourite bands.

The Maccabees came on at ten and were finished by twenty to eleven. A great gig? Not quite. This was the second to last night of their current tour and you could tell the time on the road has taken its toll. The band were tired. Although very tight musically, they couldn’t quite ‘turn me on’ as the lead singer of Stillwater once said. By the look of the room, this was evident for a lot more people than just me.

Apart from a gaggle of teenage girls perched on the floor right in front of Owen, the band's front man, (who with his limp wrists flying around the place looked decidedly like a gay Tyrannosaurus Rex at times) everybody was fairly subdued. When the sing-along songs emerged - Precious Time, Toothpaste Kisses & new single Love You Better - potential “holy shit this is a savage gig” moments were wasted.

This was also not one of the better audience sing-a-longs judging by the band's response; it was almost like they expected it to start, but then did nothing to get the rest of the room to join in with the aforementioned front group of girls.

The band ploughed through their set with the efficiency of a Nazi oven before leaving only to return to play two more songs before clocking out for the night.

They packed 14 songs into that 40 minutes and maybe it's a good sign but I was left feeling like I wanted more, and that it also wasn’t almost twenty yoyos worth of entertainment; going to the cinema is half the price, lasts twice as long and there’s tits and robots sometimes.

Here is a band that could be so good live. They are in the odd position of having two great albums behind them, packed with great songs, but of being utterly unconvincing and lacklustre in the flesh. This presents a peculiar proposition in the day of the digital download, where the record is now almost an advert to convince consumers to go to the gig. The question is whether it is possible for a band like The Maccabees to survive by releasing good records alone?

Though I have to (finally) admit that I’m not a Topshop-addicted teenage girl, judging by the screams of the many who attended - the same ones I mentioned above - they will be more than happy to go again in the search of a Toothpaste Kiss. I’m happy enough to spit my toothpaste out and move on.

- Sean MacMillan

BELOW: CHECK OUT THE VIDEO TO THE MACCABEES' LATEST SINGLE, LOVE YOU BETTER