Reverend and the Makers: 20 years on and ready to rock Sheffield

Twenty years is a long time in the music industry, but for Jon McClure and Reverend and the Makers, the journey has been worth every high and low. As the Sheffield band prepares for their headline slot at Rock N Roll Circus this Saturday (August 30), McClure is in reflective mood about a career that’s seen them go from local heroes to gracing the Glastonbury stage and back again.

“Obviously the success of the debut album, and particularly Heavyweight Champion – I think the first Glastonbury appearance was a real wow moment,” McClure recalls of his favourite memories from the past two decades. “I remember hearing Jo Whiley play Heavyweight on Radio 1 for the first time when I was in a taxi in London not long after it came out – that was a surreal moment.”

But it’s the present that has McClure most excited. Saturday’s show at Rock N Roll Circus represents the band’s biggest headline performance to date, with only a handful of tickets remaining. “Being honest, I think the headline show at Rock and Roll Circus will top it all,” he says. “Looking at the calibre of the line-up, I think ‘how have we got to headline this?’”

The band has pulled out all the stops for what promises to be a spectacular evening. “We’ve been working hard on making the show bigger and better. We’ve got a string quartet, a brass band, gospel singers and a bunch of special guests who will be getting on stage with us. It’s going to be wonderful.”

This career high comes after what McClure openly admits were some difficult years as the band “were in the doldrums in the 2010s”.

Recent performances, however, have reminded him why he fell in love with music in the first place. “We played at Kendal Calling and there must have been 25,000 people turned up to watch us. There was a time when I thought all that had gone for me, you know? And so that comeback is wonderful.”

The resurgence coincides with the band’s eighth studio album, Is This How Happiness Feels, due in April 2026. Recent singles Late Night Phonecall and Haircut have garnered both radio and TV play, marking what McClure describes as “a resurgence for the band”.

Haircut features a particularly special collaboration with Nottingham actress and friend Vicky McClure MBE. “’She’s a musical person,” McClure explains. “When we did DayFever at Rock City in Nottingham, she got on the stage and started dancing. I said to Jonny Owen, her husband, ‘This is a rockstar, we’ve got to get her on a track’.”

Despite initial nerves about stepping outside her acting comfort zone, McClure says that the Bafta winner “absolutely smashed it”.

Beyond music, McClure has found himself unexpectedly at the helm of DayFever UK, the daytime clubbing phenomenon that’s expanded internationally. “It’s been a bit of a phenomenon. I’ve ended up being the CEO – which is crazy saying that in itself,” he laughs. “I think the pandemic reordered people’s associations with time, and DayFever allows them to be out having a good time but be back at a reasonable time and can work the next day.”

As for this new album, McClure’s confidence is infectious: “I’ve got to tell you, this new album is the best thing I’ve ever done – it’s brilliant. It’s just a great time in my life and being able to share that with my missus and kids – it’s special.”

With final tickets selling fast for Saturday’s show, McClure has one last message for Sheffield music fans: “Buy the last tickets because they will go. Come down – for £50, you’re not going to get a better line-up.”

Reverend and the Makers headline the Rock N Roll Circus at Don Valley Bowl, Sheffield on Saturday August 30. https://www.rocknrollcircus.co.uk/sheffield