WORDS JANET HARDING / IMAGES WARREN MILLAR
A very chilly Liverpool city centre is tonight’s setting. We’re back at the O2 Academy Liverpool, a cracking venue and one of my favourites, just a stone’s throw from Lime Street station. Tonight we attend the bigger of the O2 venue spaces, for no other than the Rev himself – Reverend and the Makers. I must say it’s one from my personal bucket list, and having never quite gotten to see them live, I’m super excited for this! The tour is to promote the latest album ‘Heat wave in the cold North’ ahead of its release in April of this year. The Rev army is joined on this UK tour with support by the Ramona Flowers and Danny Goffey. One hell of a night of live music is promised, and in a venue synonymous with great crowd feels, reasonable drinks prices and a brilliant atmosphere, we literally do have it all.
Well, tonight we have an extra special musical treat because on tour with Reverend and the Makers, in support, best known as part of the legendary Supergrass, then Babyshambles, it’s one half of the ‘Diamond Hoo Ha Man’ – it’s only Danny Goffey!
In an outright explosion of sound, the set begins and it’s sheer brilliance to behold – real ska feels, beats are skippy, the pace is fast, bounce inducing sounds radiate. The band is bursting with energy and this makes for a real feel good set. As we progress through the tracks, we have different feels; there’s still that ska influence, but early punk can be strongly detected, and post punk – that real sound of the suburbs era. Guitars are reminiscent of the Clash, Many of the tracks have spoken dialogue running through them, very Ian Drury like. Such a mash up, so eclectic and such varied influences, Personally, I love this! I just can’t stop smiling, In fact my cheeks ache from smiling so much! Such a crisp, clean and energetic performance. Danny’s vocal is outstanding; it’s expressive, rounded and full with that real ‘howl’ effect, suiting this punk/ska/suburban style perfectly.
Danny’s latest and third solo album released last year, ‘Bryan Moone‘s DiscoPunk,’ is a collection of songs inspired by lockdown stories and memories of Danny’s past. Tonight’s set features many of them including ‘Everybody’s on drugs’, a cynical narrative about pharmaceuticals and how everyone’s on prescription drugs nowadays. It’s been a real upbeat, feel good and for me a wow performance. I’ve loved this set. For eccentric, retro, very cool vibes, banging tunes (excellently performed) and real jagged and punk sounds, well you just won’t beat Danny Goffey. He opened for us in true style tonight and should be higher up the billing in my opinion.
Next up are the Ramona Flowers, and here we have a complete shift in style, genre and sound. Arriving on stage to a backing track of very 80s electro feels (think Stranger Things) these guys look like rock stars. They begin to play and instantly it’s very electro/new wave, epic anthemic feeling tracks, which start off gently then build, more layers being added until we’re surrounded by the rich and textured electro rock pop that is the Ramona Flowers. The band sway and dance around on stage and seem completely absorbed in the music they are creating. Our front man darts about on stage and is very watchable, his vocal is a mixture of higher notes, then smooth and even tones, becoming loud and far reaching; he has an excellent range.
I get massive Simple Minds, Big Country, Tears for Fears type feels, but an air of The Scripts about it too (mainly the vocal). A very well rehearsed, well thought out and polished performance; an entire concept or essence of an era, if you like,…it feels like we’re watching an MTV video of some ground breaking electro band back in the mid 80s! Backing tracks and keys give this feel, coupled with guitar solos that are epic, soaring bass lines, complex drumming and the strong lead vocal. For fans of that huge electro rock 80s feel, you really need to check out the Ramona Flowers. Real attention to detail here. Great set.
The Ramona Flowers
Steve Bird – Vocals
Dave Betts – Keyboards/Guitar
Wayne Jones – Bass
Ed Gallimore – Drums
Sam James – Guitar
So it’s time, it’s what we’re all here to see ,and on a knife’s edge the house lights dim, dry ice eerily filters from the stage and ‘Gonna fly now’ (the theme from Rocky) comes over the pa system. As our band and much loved front man take their places on stage before us, it feels like the entire venue spontaneously combusts! The lights go up to deafening screams and the instantly recognisable intro to the Reverend and the Makers’ ‘the State of Things” begins and the crowd once again erupts. Jon’s (McClure’s) presence on stage is huge, not only in stature (he’s got to be 6ft 4 at least surely?) but in voice too. Deep, commanding in tone but loud and attention grabbing, it’s as iconic as the songs from this band’s impressive back catalogue. The sound is just simply amazing. It takes us back, sweeps us up into a musical blanket of nostalgia. It’s bloody fantastic, and this crowd are SO up for it.
Throughout tonight’s set Jon thanks Liverpool, saying there’s always a place in his heart for the city, explaining that “We’ve always been rock stars in Liverpool even when everyone else forgot about us, you still came for us”. Hard, fast and solid beats, very dance club feeling, strong, pounding…no, pulsating… bass lines, we can feel in our bodies, penetrating deep into our souls! Delicious keys, ranging from melodic to haunting to quirky, bringing in that rave vibe, that individuality, that ‘something a bit different’ that sits at the heart of all ‘Rev’ tracks. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from, who you are or what you do, we’re all here tonight, we’re all Rev tonight” screams Jon into the crowd, and this statement is embraced fully and whole heartedly by tonight’s crowd. I must say, it’s one hell of a gathering to be in amongst… we kind of do have a rave going on, that’s how it feels!
The hits keep coming, the energy keeps building, the crowd keep devouring it all and the feels go up and up. Of course the previous hits are celebrated as they should be, but this tour is about the soon to be released album ‘Heat wave in the cold North’, and tracks from the album are featured, and go down incredibly well. This new material is a distinct change in direction; the well known (and loved) Rev songs, although very upbeat and usually fast paced, do tend to be very gritty, dark and hard hitting in subject matter, of drugs and gambling and cheating, The overall feels tend to be seedy, cynical and deep, although the sounds are lively and rave- like, even referred to as dance music. This new stuff is different. It’s mellow, it’s chilled out, light – it actually does have the feel of heat waves…of sticky high summer days, of a distorted radio in the background, sunbathing in urban parks with cans of beer; it’s observational still, yet more slowed down; stillness and quiet – equally brilliant, just in a completely different way, and performed live was really something else!
The set tonight is rammed – new stuff, old stuff and the band seem to have boundless energy At one point, after spotting kids in the front row, Jon invites them and their parents on stage, sending a crew member to meet them and they are taken across the stage(to huge and enthusiastic applause) where the family of 5 now spend the rest of the gig watching from the wings – the stuff of dreams! An experience none will likely forget. This band clearly have a genuine love of and appreciation of their fans, and what an incredible thing to do!
The ripples of excitement have been lapping, then crashing through this venue all night, and when huge hits are played it’s become a musical tidal wave…’Mr Glassalfempty’, ‘Bassline’ , ‘Heavyweight Champion of the World’ to name but a small few…but once the band get to playing “He said he loved me’ the tidal wave becomes a tsunami! It’s been one hell of a night: energetic, joyous, a musical delight! Nostalgia, dancing, very genuine and enthusiastic interaction and utterly mind blowing performance.
God I love this band EVEN more now I’ve seen them live. Hats off to the Revs…they brought it tonight. One very happy reviewer and one equally happy photographer, both rather bedraggled but hey, that’s the sign of an epic gig! Reverend and the Makers…boy do you rock, and then some!
Band:
Jon McClure – Vocals
Ed Cosens – Bass
Laura McClure – Vocals
Joe Carnall – Guitar
Ryan Jenkinson – Drums
Set List:
1/ The State of Things
2/ 18.30
3/ Heat wave in the Cold North
4/ Mr Glassalfempty
5/ Bandits
6/ High
7/ Open your Window
8/ Shine the Light
9/ Hate it when you lie
10/ Heavyweight Champion of the World
11/ Miss Brown
12/ Hard Time for Dreamers
13/ Auld Reekie Blues
14/ MDMAzing
15/ Bassline
16/ Problems
17/ What the Milkman saw
18/ No Soap in a Dirty War
19/ Out of the Shadows
20/ He said he loved me
21/ Silence is talking
FOLLOW REVEREND AND THE MAKERS
FOLLOW RAMONA FLOWERS
FOLLOW DANNY GOFFEY
Warren is a live music and festival photographer based in Cheshire and covers gigs/festivals mostly in the North West of England. He has been photographing live music for over 10 years and has covered major artists and festivals
