Altsounds - Reverend and the Makers [Live] - Manchester Academy, 29 October 2009

I always think a good way to tell if you are enjoying a band live is how much you feel the need to drink while watching them. If you haven’t even noticed that your £2 Carlsberg is running low, or if you have already hiffed your pint over the unaware crowd in front in a fit of excitement, then chances are you are enjoying the gig. Or, if you are either constantly worrying that your beverage is at the ‘glass half empty’ stage, or that you are averaging more time spent with your new friend Tom, the bartender, than watching the show, it’s assumed that you’re not having the time of your life.

I went rapidly from the former abstinence to the latter alcoholism, in one long, drawn out moment between openers Yves Klein Blue and headliners Reverend and the Makers at the Manchester Academy on a particularly standard Thursday night on the outskirts of the city.

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Wait a second, almighty concert God, isn’t it supposed to go the other way around? Hate the opener, love the headliner?

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Why, yes Natalie, yes it is. But in this case, something unexplainable has happened in the universe where all of these people packing out the Academy seem to genuinely enjoy the Reverend’s generic dance electropop on some unknown crazy fan level more than any rational person, or even myself, can comprehend.

Yves Klein Blue are a diverse, energetic, intriguing band who, on this particular evening, used their stunted allowance of stage as fully as physically possible, and looked like they were genuinely at ease throughout their lively set. The Brisbane-native foursome consists of lead singer Michael Tomlinson, guitarist Charles Sale, drummer Chris Banham and bassist Sean Cook (who looked scarily like Conan O’Brien but with longer bangs). Their set was a mix of indie rock tracks with a hint of dance and funk thrown in, and some of the greatest (yet sadly underused) guitar solos I’ve heard from a band holding an opening slot in some time. The crowd seemed to receive the guys well, clapping along as if Yves Klein Blue had been a household name for years. But then they finished…

Now, I will admit to having never heard a Reverend and the Makers song before tonight. But I was under the impression that live music is generally a better experience than recorded, as an artist can rely on showmanship as well as musical talent. Gees, if this is live, I bet the latest Reverend and the Makers album, A French Kiss In The Chaos is a big ball of awesome. (I’m sorry, shitty music makes Natalie a sarcastic girl).

I bet your wondering why I even bothered to head along to the Academy tonight, well, to be honest, I’d seen lead singer Jon McClure on an episode of Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and at the time, thought he came across as a relatively cool, relatively funny, relatively inventive guy. Apparently, no matter how much charm and poise one has, it does not translate into producing good music or a good show.

I think the calibre of the gig was cemented when McClure coaxed the only-too-willing crowd into sharing a raucous moment of collective bird flipping. I didn’t realise it was that type of concert? Have we somehow reverted back to 1994 when that shit was cool?

I’m pretty sure the set-list went something like this (although, please take into consideration the above points, and note that I may not have been paying full attention):

1 Silence is Talking
2 The State of Things
3 Heavyweight Champion of the World
4 Manifesto/People Shapers
5 No Wood Just Trees
6 Bandits
7 Mermaids
8 Hard Time for Dreamers
9 Open Your Window
10 Professor Pickles
11 Hidden Persuaders
12 Long Long Time
13 Yes You Do
14 Miss Brown
15 He Said He Loved Me
16 The End
17 The Machine
18 Armchair Detective

Disclaimer: If Reverend and the Makers had performed without support, my ratings out of ten above would have been a solid 2 for each category.

Reverend & The Makers

Yves Klein Blue