I played two songs last summer at a couple of fezzies, ‘Heatwave’ and then the next single, ‘Problems’, that’s coming out at the end of this month. I’ve been doing this for twenty years now and I’ve never had that reaction – people singing it straight away and messaging me, “When’s that ‘Problems’ song coming out?” To get that reaction is such a buzz, it really is. The five albums since have seen the band move through several incarnations, sounds and line ups and experience all the highs - and most of the lows - that the music industry has to offer, but it was Covid-19 that saw Jon worry the most about income, since his wife Laura is also a member of the band. In 2008, Reverend and The Makers set a date for their first release and undertook a UK tour, including several festivals over the summer period including Glastonbury Festival, Carling Weekend, T in the Park and T4 on the Beach as well as supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers at Hampden Park, Glasgow. In January 2008, Reverend and The Makers toured Australia. [4]

Of all the swagger lifting the peak of noughties UK indie, no one carried it better, louder, or more publicly than Reverend and the Makers’ Jon McClure. In 2012 Mark Rooker, GB's Operations Director for the World Traditional Karate Association approached McClure for permission to use " Heavyweight Champion Of The World" as the official song for the first ever unified European Open Championship of Martial Art at The Ponds Forge International Sports Center in his hometown of Sheffield, on 18 August. McClure agreed and the WTKA have continued to use the tune ever since [24] Reverend Soundsystem club nights [ edit ]

“Musically there’s a very big risk for bands who’ve been around a long time to get incredibly predictable.”

MSN Entertainment UK - Latest Celebrity News, Gossip, Photos & Videos". msn.com. Archived from the original on 16 July 2009 . Retrieved 26 August 2009. Manchester's own Lottery Winners also got a shout out from the band, too, commending their 'working class music' and citing them as one of his favourite bands. He added: "I used to think I wanted to be a cool b***ard, and then I thought I wanna be Paul Heaton, or Madness, or Slade, or the Lottery Winners - people's music!" Reverend and The Makers at Manchester Academy - February 16, 2023 (Image: Bethan Shufflebotham)

In late 2005, McClure brought several musicians together for Reverend and the Makers. Like his previous bands, the Makers included co-songwriter Ed Cosens, this time playing bass. The rest of The Makers consisted of Dave Sanderson (guitars), Joe Moskow ( keyboards), Richy Westley (drums, formerly of Hoggboy) and Laura Manuel ( vocals), and occasionally Simon Strafford on trombone. Sanderson was dismissed in July 2006 after the band completed their first headline UK tour and replaced by Gledhill guitarist Tom Jarvis. The Reverend’s story is one of the great survival tales of the British music scene as charisma, talent, defiance and sheer willpower sees the band start a new chapter, reenergized and raring to go. Reverend and The Makers at Manchester Academy - February 16, 2023 (Image: Bethan Shufflebotham) The commander asked and Rev’s Army’ dutifully obliged. It’s impossible not to when they’re bringing out ‘banger after banger’. The Manchester gig forms part of the Sheffield band’s first live tour in four years. Formed in 2005, Jon McClure and his collective of musicians burst onto the scene with their top five charting debut album, The State of Things. A lot of ageing, northern male indie starts to do that same melody… Everyone, fellas from the north especially, they’ve all got their own melodic thing. When you’re getting older and you’ve been doing it a long time, you hear a new record and you think, “oh you do that on every song you ever do!” I wanted to break that. I dunno, what’s the point in making less good versions of stuff you’ve already done, you know? In the summer of 2009 they have supported Oasis on the largest stadium tour in the UK and Ireland. On 1 September 2009, they performed a secret free gig at Tate Modern, London. [21] They were introduced by Sara Cox and supported by Stornoway. [22] The gig was to celebrate the launch of new climate change campaign—"10:10". [23] In November 2009, the band supported Kasabian on their nationwide tour. For the past 2 years, the band have played New Year's Eve shows at KOKO in Camden, London.You’ve made albums in the likes of Jamaica and Thailand before, but tell us about the scene and setting of Heatwave In The Cold North. In April 2006, Reverend and The Makers were support to the Arctic Monkeys on their sold out UK tour, exposing the band to larger audiences and bigger venues. This was followed by their own first UK tour in May and June, selling out dates in Shoreditch, London and The Plug in home-town Sheffield on the final night. A second tour followed in October 2006, showing great progression as a band. The sound was much tighter and far more advanced than on their previous tour. The band released their sixth album on 22 September 2017, which debuted at Number 11 on the UK Albums Chart, their best performing album since their 2007 debut.

I guess it’s a lot more personal and introspective these days. I’ve done a lot of politics, social realism, kitchen sink drama stuff, I’ve done the psychedelic hedonism thing. Though I did a bit of mental health on the first album, what I’ve never really done is introspective: looking at me and my relationships with people. Whether that’s my wife, my friends or people I’ve had disputes with and fallen out with, I guess there’s a lot of autobiographical stuff in there. You can’t start writing council estate kitchen sink stuff when you’re seven albums in. Although I’m not a millionaire I clearly have a decent standard of living, and get paid well for what I do, so I think it’d be really disingenuous to be writing what I wrote about on my first album, right? You mentioned some of the clichés you’ve been associated with, and you have been known for speaking your mind over the years, particularly about some of your peers. The Johnny Borrell one in The Guardiancomes to mind. Are you still as cutthroat and damning these days?

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McClure was in the media spotlight for his personal views in July 2009, after an interview in which he commented on Jade Goody's death earlier in the year; "it's sad she died and it's good more girls are getting smear tests but let's not forget she was a talentless racist". [9] The first single from the new album ‘Heatwave In The Cold North’ has already received a wave of radio support, so it feels as familiar to fans as some of their old classics. The singles so far are definitely smooth and sexy as you say, and I don’t think anyone expected a song such as ‘High’ from you. Were you worried about how that would go down?