Jon McClure | |
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![]() McClure performing with Reverend and the Makers in 2008 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Jon McClure |
Born | Sheffield, Yorkshire, England | 22 December 1981
Genres | |
Occupation | Musician |
Instruments | |
Years active | 2004–present |
Labels | Wall of Sound |
Jon McClure (born 22 December 1981), known as The Reverend, is an English musician. He is the lead singer and frontman of Reverend and The Makers, and ex-vocalist of 1984 and Judan Suki. He says that the name "Reverend" became his moniker because "I'm a big mouth and always running on at people". [1]
McClure was born in the Sheffield suburb Grenoside, and grew up there with his parents and brother Chris. He has known Ed Cosens since childhood and in Notre Dame High School. He went on to become a poet, [2] and began blogging on the internet.
McClure's first band was Judan Suki, which featured Ed Cosens and Laura Manuel from The Makers. The name Judan Suki is Japanese, meaning "being kicked in the weak spot". The band had around 10 members, including Alex Turner and Matt Helders of the Arctic Monkeys. Judan Suki played around Sheffield, headlining venues such as the Boardwalk and The Foundry Sheffield at Sheffield University in 2002. One of their live tracks included a cover of "Brothers on the Slide" by Cymande, although a studio version was never recorded.
In 2003, Judan Suki downsized from eight members to five to become 1984, named after the novel by George Orwell. Ed Cosens remained in the band, and co-wrote many of 1984's songs as well as all of Reverend and The Makers. The short-lived band existed from 2004 to 2005, and McClure's lyrics and vocals became angrier during this period due to his strong opposition to the Iraq War. "God Is In The TV", one of the B-sides on a later Reverend and the Makers single, was originally a 1984 song. The band came to an end when McClure decided to pursue a more professional career, leading to Reverend and the Makers.
McClure developed a close friendship with Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, after meeting Turner on a bus and asking if he wanted to join his band at the time. [3] McClure and Turner have co-written songs including "He Said He Loved Me", "The Machine", and "Old Yellow Bricks", and also shared a flat. [4]
Prior to Reverend and the Makers being signed, McClure hosted a monthly club night named "Reverend Soundsystem", on the first Saturday of every month at The Plug in Sheffield, and has also hosted one event at Manchester's Po Na Na. The Soundsystem, which ran for a year from October 2007 and has featured a number of guest DJs such as Mani (The Stone Roses/Primal Scream), Peter Hook (New Order), Andy Nicholson (ex-Arctic Monkeys), 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, Gas Club, Stoney, The 747s, The Hosts, White Rose Movement and Starlings (FKA Kelham Crisis). The event no longer takes place at The Plug.
In 2010, McClure took Reverend SoundSystem on tour. The band includes Jon, Matic Mouth, Laura McClure and Jimmy Welsh (who replaced Jagz Kooner).
McClure's new project features band members Lowkey, Andy Nicholson, Matt Helders, Drew McConnell, Joe Moscow, and Jagz Kooner.
McClure's influences include The Clash, Oasis, The Stone Roses, The Beatles and The Jam. [5] On another occasions he has cited his key influences as Bob Marley, Oasis and John Cooper Clarke. [6] McClure was part of a collective that set up "Instigate Debate" in August 2008.
McClure married fellow Reverend and The Makers member Laura Manuel in the summer of 2009.[ citation needed ]
McClure is a lifelong Sheffield Wednesday fan. He is known to be an avid player of the simulation game Football Manager . In September 2009, he became the first member of the public to play Football Manager 2010 upon its release. [7] . McClure's great uncle, Joe McClure, played for Everton FC in the same team as Dixie Dean in the 1930s. [8] [9]
In an edition of The Wright Stuff ,[ when? ] he said that he "absolutely loves" smoking.[ citation needed ] In March 2010, he was arrested in Inverness after possession of cannabis, but was given a caution. [10]
In November 2019, along with 34 other musicians, McClure signed a letter endorsing the Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in the 2019 UK general election with a call to end austerity. [11]
Drew McConnell is the bass guitarist and backing vocalist with Babyshambles, the band formed by frontman of the Libertines, Pete Doherty, and for former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher's band. He lived in Tenerife, Spain, for much of his childhood and he speaks Spanish fluently. Formerly in the band Elviss, McConnell participates in a number of side-projects, such as the Phoenix Drive and playing double bass and piano with Irish singer/songwriter Fionn Regan as well as writing and recording solo material.
Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley; original bassist and co-founder Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006.
Jagz Kooner is an English record producer who has worked with Radio 4, Manic Street Preachers, Garbage, Infadels and Primal Scream for whom he co-produced their cover version of the song "Some Velvet Morning" along with model Kate Moss.
Alexander David Turner is an English musician. He is the front man and lead singer-songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys. Turner is known for his lyricism ranging from kitchen sink realism to surrealist wordplay, which has been praised by music critics and the public. All but one of Turner's studio albums have topped the UK Albums Chart. He has won seven Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, and a Mercury Prize among other accolades.
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut studio album by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006 in the United Kingdom and on 21 February 2006 in the United States by Domino Recording Company. Preceded by the chart-topping singles "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down", the album also contains re-recorded versions of both tracks from the band's debut extended play (EP), Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys (2005). It is the group's only album to feature bassist Andy Nicholson, as he left the band shortly after the album's release.
Milburn are an indie rock band from Sheffield, England, that consisted of Joe Carnall, Louis Carnall, Tom Rowley, and Joe Green. They announced their split on 28 March 2008, with the band playing one final gig at Sheffield's Carling Academy on 24 May 2008 before reuniting in 2016.
Notre Dame Catholic High School in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, was established in the 1850s by the Sisters of Notre Dame, a religious order. It was, for many decades, a fee paying school. It currently has 1400 students, with a 1:17.3 Teacher: Student ratio.
Bromheads Jacket are an English three-piece post punk band, formed in 2005 in Sheffield.
The State of Things is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Reverend and The Makers. It reached number 5 in the UK Albums Chart, selling just over 25,000 copies in its first week.
"He Said He Loved Me" is a song by English rock band Reverend and the Makers from their 2007 debut album, The State of Things. The song features Jon McClure and Laura Manuel on lead vocals. It was released on 26 August 2007 as a digital download and on 3 September 2007 as a physical single. The song reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart the same month.
Mongrel were a British band formed in 2008, founded by former Arctic Monkeys bassist Andy Nicholson. Alongside Nicholson in the band were Joe Moskow, both of Reverend and The Makers, Babyshambles bassist Drew McConnell as well as London rapper Lowkey from the Poisonous Poets.
A French Kiss in the Chaos is the second album by Reverend and the Makers, which was released on 27 July 2009. The album's first single was "Silence is Talking" released on 20 July 2009, and the second album single "No Soap " was released on 14 September 2009. Some of the other songs on the album such as "The End" and "Hidden Persuaders" were debuted live on Oasis' Dig Out Your Soul Tour when the band was supporting them along with Kasabian and The Enemy, most notably at the Wembley Stadium 3 night run.
The discography of Reverend and the Makers, an English rock band, consists of seven studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album and one extended play.
Reverend Soundsystem or RSS are an English 'indiestep' band that formed in Sheffield in 2010. The band's vocalist Jon McClure had been playing under the Reverend Soundsystem pseudonym for some time in between Reverend and The Makers albums, and he recruited his Makers-bandmate and wife Laura McClure to join him, with Ocelot and Maticmouth Sheffield MC and former classmate of Jon.
The Violet May are an English 6-piece rock act from Sheffield, England. Formed in early 2009, The Violet May quickly earned a reputation for their wild live shows and were named by Alan McGee in The Guardian as one of his "Top 15 Tips for 2010".
The Bottletop Band is a supergroup consisting of leading musicians of both Brazilian and English music. Mario Caldato Jr. is the prime organiser of the band, overseeing the whole Bottletop band record and he was behind the mixing and production of the majority of tracks. Notable musicians include Carl Barât, Eliza Doolittle, Gruff Rhys, Matt Helders, Andy Nicholson and Tim Burgess. Despite primarily being a jam band, the band was eventually organised to record an album, Dream Service, from which all proceeds have been given the Bottletop charity. The charity in which supports initiatives in Brazil, Malawi and Rwanda and the UK, addressing key issues such as sexual and reproductive health, substance abuse and gender equality. The band's debut single, "The Fall of Rome", was made available in December 2010 for free download on the project's official website. The charity set up recording sessions at Dean Street Studios in Soho and in Rio de Janeiro with a wide variety of musicians to record a selection of ideas together under the stewardship of producer Jagz Kooner.
Joseph Henry McClure was an English footballer who played in the Football League and is remembered for his four years as a wing half with Everton. He later became a manager in non-League football with Nuneaton Town.
Reverend and the Makers are an English rock band from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. The band is fronted by Jon McClure, nicknamed "The Reverend". Their debut album, The State of Things (2007), helped them gain success in Britain and spawned the UK top 10 single "Heavyweight Champion of the World". The band released their second album, A French Kiss in the Chaos (2009), which led to them being invited to support Oasis on their final tour, of the first part of their career, playing venues such as Wembley Stadium. The band's third studio album, @Reverend_Makers, was released in 2012, their fourth studio album, ThirtyTwo, was released in 2014 which had more electronic and dance music influences. These were followed by Mirrors in 2015 and The Death of a King in 2017 which showcased a hard rock and folk influenced sound. Their seventh album, the soul and R&B inflected Heatwave in the Cold North was released in 2023 and became the band's first Top 10 album in the UK in 16 years.
Andy James Nicholson is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and photographer, best known as the original bassist of rock band Arctic Monkeys, which he left in 2006. In 2008, he founded Mongrel with Jon McClure of Reverend and The Makers. In 2009, he became the bassist for ex-Milburn frontman Joe Carnall's band The Book Club, but left later that year to join Reverend and The Makers. He is currently producing and performing in hip hop group Clubs & Spades with Maticmouth from Reverend Soundsystem.