Reverend And The Makers proved to be seasoned vets in Bristol.
As chilling as it may be, Jon McClure (The Reverend) and his comrades (the Makers) are perilously close to becoming veterans of the music industry. At least, by recognisable criteria.
The forthcoming Heatwave In The Cold North is Reverend And The Makers’ seventh studio album in sixteen years, which itself follows a 2019 Best Of. Sobering facts, to be sure.
However, experience has its demonstrable benefits in their live show; after a brace of support acts in the form of Supergrass drummer Danny Goffey (punchy pub-punk rock) and Ramona Flowers (80’s electro-pop), McClure and company utilise the best tricks of the trade from the off across a packed set, as the slow keyboard notes from the title-track of 2007 debut The State Of Things build the atmosphere succinctly before the Streets-meets-ska bop of the song truly kicks in.
Shortly afterwards McClure shrewdly gauges the capacity for crowd interaction by dividing them for some ‘nah-nah-nahs’ on the appropriately sun-kissed 18-30 – not that much prompting is required because a) it’s Friday night and b) the love Reverend And The Makers get from their audience is unconditional.
Even so, no chances are taken, with the backbone of the set made up of tracks from the debut garnished with choice career cuts and a sprinkling of new material: the title-track is Marvin Gaye-inspired soul while High (a self-professed B-side, the subject of which is unambiguous) is knowingly slovenly.
I Hate It When You Lie is a slice of Dre-infused hip-hop, while Problems features an appearance by Ramona Flowers’ Steve Bird, whom McClure gives immense credit for aiding with the composition.
He also frequently thanks the crowd for sticking by Reverend And The Makers (when he’s not making them laugh). At one point, the frontman wryly observes that it may have been wiser to tour after the album’s release rather than before and, as he introduces Auld Reekie Blues, admits his jealousy when the song was played on BBC 6Music (having been written by guitarist Ed Cosens).
Further proof, if it were needed, of what a good egg McClure is occurs early in the set when he fulfils a promise made on Twitter earlier in the day and beckons a 9 year-old boy and his mother to watch the show from the side of the stage.
Although made up of 21 songs, the set moves at a rattling pace: the snappy Bandits gets the crowd bopping like Madness in their prime, the Hacienda tribute Shine A Light doubles down, Mr Glassalfempty (from the criminally underrated Mirrors) is anthemic and thereby sang along with, but doesn’t match the uplifting Open Your Window or their signature song Heavyweight Champion Of The World.
Even the more reflective numbers, such as the lyrically brutal Hard Times For Dreamers, are rapturously received, with McClure conducting the crowd at every juncture.
And on it goes: the ravey Bassline is monstrous, No Soap In A Dirty War rouses the troops while the snippet of Howard Marks’ voicemail as introduction to MDMAmazing gets one of the night’s biggest cheers.
It’s by no means a one-person show either, with Laura Manual on keys and backing vocals delivering some tidy moves, Ed Cosens driving through the set with purpose and verve while Ryan Jenkinson and Antonia Pooles delivering stoic and compelling percussion.
The main set culminates with a bombastic Silence Is Talking, with no encore as such. However, as has become tradition, McClure hops off the stage, acoustic guitar in hand, to take a spot for outside (after a well-earned cigarette break) for a rendition of A Message To You Rudy, respectfully dedicated to Terry Hall.
Sadly, the acoustic set is cut short, presumably for safety restrictions (with the crowd spilling out into the road), but succeeds in leaving the hefty gathering wanting more.
Yet another of the many tricks in Reverend and the Makers’ impressive arsenal.
