Welcome to the world of Jon McClure, the front man and brainchild behind the indie funk electro band Reverend and The Makers. Sheffield born McClure has previously been involved in other acts such as Judan Suki (Japanese for being ‘kicked in the weak spot’), which featured over twenty members in its time, including members of Reverend and The Makers and Alex Turner and Matt Helders of The Artic Monkeys. He was also involved in the band 1984 (named after the novel by George Orwell); the band had a short-lived span of only one year.

In late 2005 McClure rounded together a group of musicians to form The Makers to accompany his Reverend. The band released a 9-track demo in 2006 named ‘Ten Songs’ which was produced by Alan Smyth. The music of Reverend and The Makers is a mix of indie guitar pop, electronica and a touch of Madchester-esque funk. A clear inspiration by Manchester performance poet John Cooper Clarke has lead to McClure often performing his own poems in a similar style in between songs during live sets. The bands debut single ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World’ contains a B-side titled ‘Last Resort’ in which John Cooper Clarke and McClure read alternate stanzas. Reverend’s lyrics are a particular attraction; expressing his cynical yet observant outlook on life spoken in a notable Yorkshire accent.

The band supported The Artic Monkeys in April 2006 on their U.K sell out tour, which exposed the band to a much bigger audience. They released their debut album titled ‘The State of Things’ on 17th September 2008, which reached number 5 in the U.K album charts and sold over 25,000 copies in its first week of release. The album is filled with gritty electric pulses, sonic storm synths and dripping with potential anthems.

The band is currently working on their sophomore album, which will see its release sometime this summer. Also this summer Reverend and the Makers will be joining Oasis on their biggest ever stadium tour in the UK and Ireland.