Reverend and the Makers at Manchester Academy 1 29th October

The Sheffield band announce a second UK tour for 2009 as tickets for their July dates sell out.

When the Arctic Monkeys first appeared on the scene, lead singer Alex Turner was often asked which bands he most admired. He regularly used to name check an unknown Sheffield group called Reverend and the Makers. Before long, the hype surrounding the band was reaching fever pitch – who were they? Were they any good? Record companies sought out lead singer Jon McClure, reportedly offering him up to £150,000 to cash in on the new vogue for flat Yorkshire accents and pithy lyrics.

But McClure had his own plans. The first Reverend and the Makers album was released in 2007 and while it, did share some of the same features as the Arctic Monkeys, the band also incorporated flavours of everything from electro to funk to create a brand new and distinctive sound that sent The State of Things into the top five in the UK charts.

Now the band are due to hit the radio waves again with second album A French Kiss In The Chaos, announcing a UK tour to support its release this July alongside their appearances as Oasis’ support act. Tickets for the Manchester date have already sold out, so the news that they will tour again this October is sure to delight fans who have missed out. With wry, observational lyrics, huge guitar riffs, beats you can’t help dancing to and McClure’s idiosyncratic poetry performances moving the show along, you’re going to want tickets to this show!