The Cold Cut

True to my word, I spent an intensely enjoyable hour watching Reverend And The Makers set at Lowlands, and within the first ten minutes it was blatantly obvious that this band is going to be huge. Reverend is a true performer, a talent which has been sadly wasted up until now- debut album The State Of Things comes out mid-September so his long wait for musical recognition is almost over. You've got to give it to the guy- rather than rushing his album to cash in on his Arctic Monkeys fame, he has crafted a great album (from the 11 or so songs that I've heard) and a brilliant backing band. The music quality live was pitch-perfect, and his voice in particular is very striking: check out 18.30 and He Said He Loved Me for proof.

Their set was full of energy, with serious contributions made by all members: at the moment the Makers are comprised of one hard working keyboard/synth player, a guitarist, bass player, drummer and my personal favourite, and all singing, all dancing hottie on keyboards/percussion. There was some definite chemistry between said woman and the Rev- their duet on close He Says He Loved Me was in my opinion the highlight of that whole hour, mostly because of the obvious fact that they are more than just band mates.

Out of all the bands I saw this weekend, this was without a doubt the one with the most energy: as soon as the band ran on stage they were all moving, and this continued throughout the set. That's pretty much what I expect from good bands- sweat and movement is a clear sign that they are putting in a huge amount of effort, and I think they should be rewarded for this. Seeing him so pumped up, jumping up and down on the spot throughout the set was great, and makes their live performance that little bit more interesting. Another great thing about this band is their interaction with the audience. The Reverend was spouting dutch phrases throughout the concert, another clear signal that he means business, and that he puts 100% into each and every performance. The Dutch certainly appreciated his "Geel Gout" and "Gounemorgen Lowlands"...

Sheffield is a very happening place in the music world at the moment: since the Arctic Monkeys broke the rules with their two albums about the ordinary life, it seems there have been plenty of Sheffield hopefuls trying to emulate their success with simplistic. It's a constantly changing scene, but one thing stays constant, and he goes by the name of The Reverend. A man who seems to be a positive catalyst for everyone who knows and works with, good things seem to happen around him. The only problem is he doesn't seem to be able to make it big himself, but all that's about ot change. Sometime over the next few weeks a very intriguing album will be making its way into music stores across the UK. The album is the first by Reverend And The Makers, a band who up until the last couple of months haven't recieved anywhere near the amount of press they should have: the brainchild of The Reverend aka John McClure. The band's name might not be familiar to you, but if I told you it was McClure's brother Chris on the front of the Arctic Monkeys "Whatever People Say I Am, That Is What I'm Not" you might make the connection.

Hailing from Sheffield just like the Arctic Monkeys, Reverend's first band Judan Suki had Alex Turner and Matt Helders (lead and drummer in the Arctic Monkeys- keep up please) as members, but of course they went on to form a band which has arguably been the most commercially succesful of the last 20 years or so. When the Arctic's first album was bought in huge volumes you can expect that The Reverend was feeling slightly left-behind... he was at the helm of Judan Suki but his counterparts had gone on to eclipse him. He was breifly famous after the Arctic's debut sold so much and they cited him as an 'inspiration' in the aftermath of the release. However, rather thank being famous for knowing someone, Reverend immediately set about creating an album that would make it clear that he wasn't just a stepping stone for the Arctic Monkeys. The State Of Things- Reverend And The Maker's first album-, release date uncertain, is expected to be released in September by Wall Of Sound, the band's label. First single Heavyweight Champion Of The World reached #8 in the charts when it was released, and you can download it at the bottom of this post.

Despite the similarities between the two bands, I doubt Reverend's first album will be anything like the Arctic Monkeys... from the two or three songs I've heard it would be more appropriate to compare their music to Oasis with a slight electronic element. Indeed, there are strong parallels between Reverend himself and Noel Gallgaher, both in the way he looks and sings: check out Youtube for some really cool videos of their live performances, in which McClure looks chilled, composed, and actually sings well, just as Alex Turner does. This is something seriously lacking in modern bands- there are thousands of people who record excellent studio albums but when they get on a stage they murder their own music as they can't perform live.

There are two tracks below, both of which I'm sure will make it onto the final cut of The State Of Things. Please buy the album when it comes it if you like what you hear. You can download both tracks from this project, or by clicking the links below

Reverend And The Makers- Heavyweight Champion Of The World
Reverend And The Makers- 18.30