Posts Tagged ‘reverend and the makers’

The new Reverend & The Makers album is ’90% done’ according to the band’s mainman John McClure.

Fifteen years after Oasis and Blur’s sensationalised singles scuffle, the media are dinging the bell for round two. But in place of the northern monkeys and southern fairies this time are two oblivious competitors being hammered into a ‘next big thing’ shaped hole.

Our highlights this week include a new album from one of the biggest US acts around, the beginning of a UK tour by one of the best live bands in the country, and a documentary on one of the greatest records of the seventies.

Albums

US heavyweights Pearl Jam release their ninth studio album ‘Backspacer‘ this week, which has already received widespread praise from music critics. Former Longpigs and Pulp guitarist Richard Hawley releases ‘Truelove’s Gutter‘. Hawley is enjoying a successful period in his career; after his 2005 record ‘Coles Corner’ was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, he was nominated in the Best Male category at the 2008 Brit Awards. He will now be hoping for further success with his new album, which one critic has described as “quietly passionate, graceful, elegant, utterly moving, and unequivocally beautiful in its honesty and sophistication.”

The new single ” Silence is Talking” from Reverend and The Makers. Released 13 July 2009.

Reverend and The Makers have confirmed they will be headlining a legendary climax to Tramlines 09 and Sheffield Music City. Support will be provided by The La’s, the seminal Liverpool band whose debut album was released almost 20 years ago.

Jon McClure – better known as the Reverend – is relishing the chance to perform to the band’s biggest ever home crowd, with a 5,000 capacity sell-out guaranteed on Sunday July 26th.

The Devonshire Green Stage will be curated by John McClure and Captured for prosperity thanks to media partner NME Radio.

“As soon as I heard about the festival, I was desperate to get on board. I knew we’d need something special, so I
talked to Drew and Lee and they agreed to reform the La’s at the event. That was my big (but not only) festival
surprise. On top of that, though, I wanted to showcase some of the great bands coming out of Sheffield, so as well as myself and the La’s you’re gonna see some Sheffield bands that deserve to be seen.”

“It’s gonna be legendary.”

Further proof of the curators’ commitment came when Matt Helders confirmed his attendance:

“I just had to persuade the lads to rearrange the schedule a bit. No way could I miss this event.”

Matt will be headlining his own showcase on the Saturday from DQ, the spiritual home of the now legendary
taste-making Threads club night. Supporting Matt on the night will be The Rascals and Milburn’s Joe Carnell on his first solo venture.

Newest curator on the block, Toddla T, will be kicking off the headline programme with his End of the World line-up (featuring Martello, Oneman and Toddla himself) as well as a set from the incredible DJ Zinc.

On Saturday, the Devonshire Green stage will be hosted by Hallam FM, with Little Boots, Pixie Lott, The Yeah Yous and The Noisettes amongst the highlights on their family-friendly line-up.

The Tramlines festival will incorporate at least 25 venues across the city. In conjunction with the week-long
celebration, Sheffield Music City – a diverse collection of outdoor stages and performance areas – will showcase the variety and cultural mix of Sheffield’s musical community.

Drowned in Sound, Adventures in The Beetroot Field and festival-openers Ibiza Rocks are all also soon to announce their full line-ups for the event. Fringe programmer and manager of The Harley, Sarah Nulty, believes the festival promises a unique inner-city experience:

We set out from year one to create a cross-city festival that would showcase Sheffield’s extraordinary musical variety and depth. The initial line-ups already demonstrate our intent. There are more big names to come but it’s as i
mportant to me that we showcase breaking artists from across the genres, from live hip-hop
(courtesy of The Tuesday Club) to rock, or from reggae and dub to bassline. Our aim is to celebrate the music that makes Sheffield tick. Expect endless variety in every available musical space.

Lineup Confirmed so far:

Reverend and The Makers // The La’s
The Rascals // Little Boots // Pixie Lott Toddla T // Martelo // DJ Zinc // Errors
The Noisettes // The Yeah Yous // Maps
Johnny Foreigner // The Rumble Strips
Rolo Tomassi // Rodney P // The XX
The Chapman Family // Slow Club
Man like Me // Skint and Demoralised
Kid Acne // MPHO // Banjo or freakout
Oneman // Detroit Social club // Navvy
Futurecop! // I Monster // Shake Aletti

Dead world leaders // Backhanded compliments
Munch Munch // Pygmy globetrotters // Alvarez kings
Joe Carnall and the book club // The Violet may
The Crookes // The Yell // The Swines // Calenko
La folie // Elephant keys // Pistola kicks // King Capisce

(photo: Chris Saunders)