Reverend and The Makers

Hurtling out of the same Sheffield indie rock scene that brought the world Arctic Monkeys, Reverend And The Makers were formed in 2005 by Jon McClure, one of the true movers and shakers of the whole scene and a truly gifted musician and songwriter in his own right. After the aforementioned Monkeys became the biggest band in Britain for all intents and purposes after the release of their debut single, many record labels pounced upon McClure to produce a similar sounding record as McClure and Alex Turner were close friends. However, each of them underestimated McClure and his drive to do things his own way. In his defence, his way was working out incredibly well for him, as shortly after the band self-released their debut single they sold out two nights at Sheffield's 1000 capacity Plug venue without a record deal to speak of.

In fact, it wasn't until 2006 that the band signed to Wall Of Sound Records after the head of the label, Mark Jones saw them perform live and decided that they were the “best band in the world”. In April 2006, the band supported the all-conquering Monkeys, on their first tour of the U.K, and all seemed set for the band to follow in their friends' footsteps and become one of the biggest bands in the country. As it turns out that wasn't to happen, but what would happen would mean that Reverend And The Makers became a far more interesting band than the alternative possibility. It started out promisingly, with their debut single release “Heavyweight Champion Of The World” storming into the UK charts at number eight on its first week of release in May 2007, but the band, and McClure especially, had far too much personality to fit into the mainstream.

Their debut album “The State Of Things” was a top five hit on the album charts on its release in September 2007, and thanks to McClure's wit, wisdom and commitment to his fans, the band have gone on to become one of the most enduring groups of the mid-2000's indie rock revival. With a further three top twenty albums to their name, support slots with the likes of Kasabian and Oasis, and one of the most accomplished live shows in indie rock, Reverend And The Makers come highly recommended.