The world according to the Reverend aka Sheffield’s Jon McClure is one of lives ravaged by gambling, ‘Bandits’, infidelity, ‘What The Milkman Saw’, and escapism disguised as boozy package holidays, ‘18-30’. This debut album then touches on many of the themes which have obsessed the more socially-conscious artists of music history, the likes of Ray Davies, Damon Albarn, and Mike Skinner. And not forgetting Alex Turner.

Turner, who has seemingly name-checked RATM at every opportunity, pitches up on ‘The Machine’ which would have made a great theme tune for The Office, dealing as it does with the mundane reality of white-collar work. Although he’s borrowed their singer, McClure resists the tempation to lift the Arctic Monkeys’ sound too. Instead he settles on an electro-funk recalling The Happy Mondays and The Human League at the same time, except on the ska revival of ‘Miss Brown’.

Whether he’s slagging off Johnny Borrell, “On one level I respect his self-confidence," revealed McClure, before adding "In the way you might begrudgingly respect Hitler for building the autobahns”, holding up a mirror to binge drinking, “While some sore heads will rue last night’s endeavours”, on ‘The State Of Things’, or detailing British decline and fall on ‘Sundown on the Empire’, you can’t help but listen to him. The grooviest Rev since Brother Lee Love, McClure’s congregation looks set to swell. For conversion is but a mere listen away.

(4/5)