Rock N Roll Circus 2025 Saturday Headliner: Reverend & The Makers

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Next up, on Saturday, One of Sheffield’s most beloved artists finally gets the spotlight they deserve on Saturday with Reverend and the Makers headlining the Big Top. Emerging during the indie guitar boom of the mid to late 2000s, forming in 2002, their career truly took off in 2007 with their seminal album The State of Things. Since then Reverend and the Makers have managed to set themselves apart and continue to evolve, keeping their knack for a banger well and truly honed. A long-standing staple of the indie disco (and the occasional FIFA game) ever since their breakout. Rev are distinct, innovative and relatable in a way that many who reach this stage aren’t. Now after almost twenty years, a long list of band members and collaborators, Rev are ready to make Don Valley Bowl their own.

Originating at a similar time to the megastars of Sheffield music in Arctic Monkeys, Reverend and the Makers always strived to do things their own way, especially after Monkeys released their debut album and record labels descended on the scene, desperate to find the next Arctic Monkeys. In fact, Reverend and the Makers supported Arctic Monkeys on their sold out UK tour in 2006, with collaborations between the two, as well as other notable Sheffield musicians playing a key part in those early years for the band.

Their breakthrough came shortly after, as mentioned earlier, with the release of debut album The State of Things and lead single ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World . The single received significant airplay and even peaked at number 8 in the UK singles chart, with the album peaking at number 5. The State of Things is full of fan favourites including ‘The Machine, ‘He Said He Loved Me’ and the FIFA featuring ‘Open Your Window’. The album also featured tracks co-written and performed with Alex Turner, Tim Hampton of Bromheads Jacket, Tom Rowley of Milburn and Steve Edwards.

The band rode the wave of this success to supporting some of the biggest bands in the country in Oasis, Kasabian and The Enemy, before releasing their sophomore album A French Kiss in the Chaos in 2009. Lead single ‘Silence is Talking’ is the kind of song any band would love to write to follow up their breakthrough and it’s supported on the tracklist by the swaggering ‘Hidden Persuaders’ and groove-laden ‘No Wood Just Trees’ to make a worthy successor to The State of Things.

Reverend and the Makers were now established as a cult indie favourite in the UK and third album @Reverend_Makers gave fans the first taste of the breadth of musical ability of the band. Focusing less on the guitar riffs that had been the backbone of the band so far, instead leaning into a more electronica soundscape, the album is no poorer for it. ‘Bassline’, ‘The Wrestler’ and another FIFA classic in ‘Shine the Light’ make this album another solid LP.

Less than a year later, Reverend and the Makers released their fourth album ThirtyTwo, which was their second-highest charting album at the time, behind their debut and their fourth top 20 album in a row. This was their second album with ex-Milburn frontman Joe Carnall as a band member and also the second to continue the departure from guitar-focus to electronica and almost a house music style - to great effect on tracks like ‘I Spy’.

In the buildup to the album Jon McClure travelled the country playing '32 House Gigs' which included a wedding proposal, a dog named after him and much television and press interest. The 32nd gig was held in Sheffield's Winter Gardens. Shows like this, with fans at the centre, have become synonymous with their gigs, with Rev putting on an acoustic set in the car park of most venues on their tours. While they can be like marmite to some, their is no doubting their dedication to the fans, and their fans’ dedication to them in return. Rev gigs feel like a family event.

In 2015, the band released their fifth studio album Mirrors. Another sonic shift for the band, this album is more cinematic than anything released by the band previously. There’s something of a return to the melodies and guitar riffs of their debut, but through a more mature lens and still with much more variation track to track. Standout cuts include ‘Mr. Glassalfempty’ and ‘Black Widow’, both of which feel like classic songs from 80s film soundtracks.

This variety and blend of musical styles continues in their sixth album The Death of a King. Possibly their most diverse and experimental album to date, it is probably also the furthest they’ve ever been away from their Sheffield roots as the band moved to Thailand. It’s this evolution that has kept Reverend and the Makers thriving while many of their contemporaries fell away. From the stompiness of opener ‘Miss Haversham’ to the hypnotism of closer ‘Black Flowers’, the album grabs your interest and refuses to let go.

Sadly it would be half a decade before we got another taste of Reverend and the Makers. The band continued their occasional festival performance, but new material wasn’t forthcoming - not until 2023. The return was much-anticipated and came with perhaps their best work to date.  Heatwave In The Cold North entered album charts at number 6 and signalled that Rev was back and better than ever. The album’s title track is a sun-drenched groovefest perfect for festivals in the sun or a pick-me-up on a gloomy day, while ‘A Letter To My 21 Year Old Self’ brings an introspective and emotive reflection on the band’s and McClure’s last 20 years in the music industry.

‘A Letter To My 21 Year Old Self’ also formed part of a wider project headed up by Jon McClure. The initiative saw fans and musicians sending in letters addressing it to their 21 year-old selves, which included famous faces like Brian Eno, Mel C, Carl Barat and more, it was a poignant and special campaign to see unfold. 

Recently, the band released the single ‘Late Night Phone Call’ as a Christmas charity single, with all proceeds going to benefit the charity Samaritans. Speaking about the single to NME, McClure said “The Samaritans save people’s lives 365 days a year, and they’re even more important this close to Christmas. They’ve done stuff for me, and I wanted to do stuff for them.”

Now the band are gearing up for the release of their next studio album Is This How Happiness Feels in April 2026. The jaunty lead single ‘Haircut’ released in July and features Day Fever collaborator Vicky McClure on co-lead vocals. Rock N Roll Circus looks to be a crowning moment in the career of this band to date, we can’t wait to see what they have in store.