Last night I witnessed music history, at least that’s what I thought. Tim Heineke and I sneaked into Paradiso to see the Reverend and the Makers, an indie-electro band from Sheffield, UK. I saw them before in December 2007 when they were the supporting act of that other band from Sheffield, the Arctic Monkeys. It was the first time I fell in love with a girl from a 60 feet distance, that’s what a dancing Laura Manuel (vocals/ keyboards) does with a man.

The vibrant performance reminded me of a combination between the woodenly moves of Ian Curtis and the enthusiasm of Bez dancing with the Happy Mondays. Every time frontman Jon McClure spread his arms to act like he was an actual reverend, the crowd went absolutely mental.

Jon McClure performing on Lowlands 2007. Photo by my favorite hard bloggin’ scientist Anne Helmond.

No wonder the audience screamed yes when McClure asked them whether they wanted to hear more. “Alright”, he yelled, “You and me, outside”. And that’s exactly what happened. While McClure made his way through the stunned audience, I decided to ran after him. I’m glad I did, and so were fifty other people, since the Reverend played some of his songs on an acoustic guitar while he was standing on the steps of a upper class high school.

People who were just passing by, probably thought that some homeless person all of sudden became really popular. Since it sounded a bit like we were all singing songs by a camp fire. Watch the crappy video to see what I mean.

Despite the high happy camper factor, I thought I was witnessing music history in the making. And if we didn’t live in this digital age, I would still think that. Yet a quick Flickr-search shows that the Reverend likes to preach outside.

From left to right: Groningen (NL), Edingburgh and Birmingham

Although it was part of the whole Reverend and the Makers show, I still think it shows that McClure is actually enjoying what he does. I certainly dig musicians like that, even if it’s just part of their PR plan.

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