Reverend and The Makers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Reverend and the Makers
Origin	Sheffield, England
Years active	2005–present
Genres	Indie, Funk, Electro
Labels	Wall of Sound (record label)
Members	Jon McClure, Ed Cosens, Tom Jarvis, Joe Moskow, Richy Westly and Laura Manuel.

Reverend and the Makers are an Indie Funk Electro band based in Sheffield, England.

Reverend is Sheffield musician Jon McClure, who previously sang with local bands Judan Suki and 1984. McClure assembled 'The Makers' from friends and musical colleagues.

The original Makers were: Ed Cosens (bass), Dave Sanderson (guitars), Joe Moskow (keyboards), Richy Westly (drums, ex- Hoggboy) and Laura Manuel (vocals) and occasionally Simon Stafford on trombone, however Sanderson was dismissed in July 2006 after the band completed their first headline UK Tour and replaced by Gledhill guitarist Tom Jarvis, who continues to play with both bands. At this time, a percussionist, Stuart, was also added to the band line up.

Reverend and The Makers have released a 9-track demo, which is available at their website. The popularity of this demo has seen them to be compared to Arctic Monkeys, with whom they share a musical outlook. Their music is a mix of indie guitar pop, electronica and a touch of Madchester-esque funk. Indeed, some of the internet demos are recorded feature members of other notable Sheffield bands such as Arctic Monkeys and Bromheads Jacket. One of Reverend's inspirations is Manchester performance poet John Cooper Clarke and Reverend often performs his own poems, of a similar style, inbetween songs during his live sets. The album, entitled "The State Of Things" was recorded over the Christmas period and is expected to be released on Wall of Sound in 2007 and as yet no date has been confirmed.

Reverend's lyrics are a particular attraction. His down-to-earth, cynical and observant outlook on modern-day life are captured in refreshing, cutting and highly intelligent verses and delivered in a striking deep voice spoken in a notable Yorkshire accent.

In April 2006, Reverend and the Makers were support to the Arctic Monkeys on their sell-out UK tour (same management), exposing the band to larger audiences and bigger venues. They also completed 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.

Reverend also hosts a monthly clubnight on the first Saturday of every month named "Reverend Soundsystem" at The Plug in Sheffield, featuring a number of illustrious guest DJ's such as Mani (Stone Roses/Primal Scream), Peter Hook (New Order), Tony Wilson (Factory Records), Andy Nicholson (ex-Arctic Monkeys, aka. Andygun), Chris McClure (face of the Arctic Monkeys debut album cover (Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not) and brother of Jon), Terry Hall (The Specials), Milburn, Bez and Arctic Monkeys as well as live performances from The Sunshine Underground, Stoney, 747s, The Hosts and White Rose Movement.

Reverend and the Makers have recently announced a new nationwide tour and date for their long-awaited first delease. The tour includes dates in Wakefield, Leeds, Nottingham, Liverpool, Sunderland, Birmingham, Bristol, London, Brighton, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Leicester, Sheffield, Hull, Manchester, Newcastle, Barnsley and a second date in London respectively.

Their first release will be the single "Heavyweight Champion of the World" on 28th May 2007 and will feature the B-Sides "18-30" and "The Last Resort" featuring John Cooper Clarke. The single will be available in both CD and 7" vinyl formats.