Photo Credit: Press

“Friday night. Steel City. Good Vibes.” Frontman Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers summed up the whole gig. 

Entering Foundry felt like stepping into a community of sorts. People were dressed in Reverend’s merch, including exclusives from the band’s pop-up shop at Meadowhall, which had only just opened that day. Henderson’s Relish shirts were also a frequent sight. 

The sense of community only grew stronger throughout the night. McClure pointed and shouted out people he knew in the crowd, dissed the Blades, and called Sheffield the greatest city in the world at least thrice. 

Lauren Housley opened the set with ‘Ey, up Sheffield’. She brought emotive vocals accompanied by Thomas Gibb, her husband and Reverend and the Makers member, on acoustic guitar. 

The main act came out to the Rocky theme tune, which would seem arrogant if they didn’t immediately prove they had the discography to back up such an introduction. 

The first song they played was the album’s titular song, ‘Is This How Happiness Feels?’, which had a beachy and relaxing sound, reminiscent of the instrumentals from ‘Heatwave in the Cold North’, the groups first Top 10 album in the UK in 16 years. 

McClure said the group is going through ‘a renaissance of sorts’ after their last album, and likes to think the ‘continued success’ proves the group is not just a one-hit wonder. They went on to play their top hit, ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World’, to cheers that could’ve broken the roof of the Foundry.

The other new songs the group played from the new album showed the band’s deviation from their earlier indie stuff into more soulful instrumentals and more personal lyrics.

One new song that stood out to me, and to the rest of the crowd, was ‘Twenty Seven Past Midnight’. During the making of the album, McClure’s father passed away, leading the frontman to write a anguished lament to the early hours of the morning when thoughts of loved ones lost consume us. As he poured his heart into the microphone, the crowd cheered on the big personality frontman who at that moment seemed so sorrowful. 

McClure said his father’s passing “would lead you to believe it’s a sombre and morose record, when in actuality it’s about shagging and smoking weed.”

Soft, sensual, and soulful best describe ‘I Want You So Bad’ and ‘Late Night Phone Call’, two songs from the new album. Both evoke feelings of a Motown record with romantic lyricism and strong vocals that carry the song. 

Despite the focus being on the new album, Reverend and the Makers played some classics as well. ‘Open Your Window’,‘Shine A Light’, and ‘Out of the Shadows’ got people jumping from the front of the room to the back. 

The set inside the venue concluded with the trumpet-heavy track ‘Silence Is Talking’. McClure then walked off the stage with his acoustic guitar while the crowd swarmed outdoors, chanting the song as they hurried to the usual outdoor venue performance by the Reverend and the Makers. 

The outside encore began with a cover of The Stone Roses ‘Shoot You Down’, followed by the hit single, ‘A Letter to My 21 Year Old Self’. The group ended the whole show with a rendition of ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley.

Most artists need a grace period while their fans get used to their new sound, vibe, and record. With such loyal fans, Reverend and the Makers needed no wait; the gig the same day brought a lively and rowdy crowd, even during the new releases.