Reverend and The Makers - Glastonbury Festival 2009

Reverend and The Makers Interview - Glastonbury Festival 2009

We caught up with Jon from Reverend and the Makers backstage before his show at The Guardian Lounge on Sunday at Glastonbury Festival. We talked about The Reverend and the Makers new album 'French kiss in the chaos' as well as his new single 'Silence is Talking' .

CM: So Jon from and the Makers how's it going? Here we are at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday - most people are feeling a bit worse for wear by now - how are you today?
Jon: I'm surviving! Feeling less than fresh but you know it's lovely; it's beautiful to be here actually. I'm having a good time.

CM: Have you been on site all weekend?
Jon: No, I just landed from Australia and came straight here. It's been emotional, you know. I'm conquering jet lag by keeping on the move. No, it's good, it's good!

CM: What you been doing in Australia?
Jon: I've been touring and setting up an Instigate Debate Australia and an Instigate Debate New Zealand. They're going to spread because I think there's a little scene bubbling over there at the minute, people are taking things more seriously - they seem to want to talk about things that actually matter rather than vacuous sub stroke poser bullshit. So it's exciting!

CM: As a band you've been away writing and recording - how does it feel to start to play live again?
Jon: Yeah it's been unreal but erm...we've had a few issues ourselves, various members leaving and the girl in the band and I was together but we are not together anymore, amongst various other things and erm I think you can hear all of that in the record. It sounds a bit strained at times, a bit emotional - with all that in mind, it's good to be back doing stuff, you know.

CM: I think the more emotion you can squeeze into a record the better and you start your own headline tour in July so you can look forward to getting your new songs out live soon.
Your second album 'French kiss in the chaos', we've all been waiting for it - what can you tell us about it?
Jon: Well what's weird is - we were always binned by the critics but now with this record they're calling it a work of genius? It's a bit of an uncomfortable position because I've not experienced that before. I think you can certainly tell there's a psychedelic element to it both from the types of music we are listening to and where we are in our lives. Erm, more politics - backed up the rhetoric - kind of dealing with the stuff that's happened to me over the last few years like feeling down in the dumps and wanting to quit music, you can hear that in it - it's quite an emotional record in many ways - I think we've done a good job of mixing elements of 60's psychedelia with a modern electronica kind of thing we've done a pretty funky job. I'm looking forward to people hearing it and seeing what they think.

CM: Well, from hearing the single I can tell what you mean by 60's psychedelia with modern dance elements - what's the meaning within the title 'French kiss in the chaos'?
Jon: Well we live in chaotic times and this is the bit of common sense in amongst all of it or looking at it another way when things are bad you want someone to give you a 'French kiss in the chaos' don't you? There's a personal level to it too with me splitting with my girlfriend the record was helping me through hard times...giving me a 'kiss in the chaos'

CM: You're got some Oasis arena supports coming up and I believe you were specially invited along to do them so are you looking forward to those?
Jon: Yeah man, Noel asked us and that's a big thing for me. I've got a lot of time for him as a man and as a musician. I was twelve when I first went to see Oasis so it is a big thing.

CM: Your new single 'Silence is Talking' is all I've heard from the new album. It's got the 'Low Rider' sample in there - straight away it sounds like your sound has progressed. It's a big refreshing summer tune - did you perform that track or anything else off the new album today at the Guardian lounge here at Glastonbury Festival?
Jon: Not that one but I did 2 B sides and two other tracks off the new album one called 'Professor Pickles' and one called 'Long, long time' one with a strange 6/8 time and the other is a ballad. I think with this record it could be interesting, some people might struggle with it; journalists f**k me off because they always want to put you in a pigeon hole but after they've finished with the album they might struggle with this one. Yeah, f**k 'em. Put me in a box now!

CM: On that note, Jon thanks for speaking to us today enjoy the rest of Glastonbury festival.
Jon: Peace......Big up Contactmusic......Irie!