Jon McClure Releases New Album, Signals Personal Reframe

Jon McClure, 44, released Reverend and the Makers’ new album *Is This How Happiness Feels?*, following 2023’s *Heatwave in the Cold North*, which peaked at #6. He disclosed an ADHD diagnosis and his father’s 2023 death, saying the diagnosis confirmed a lifelong feeling of being “out of place.” He re-recorded the album in Sheffield after friend Richard Hawley urged a return to his hometown studio.

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Robbie Williams appears on “F**ked Up,” a track sparked after Williams texted McClure, “I was in my kitchen just having a brew,” and invited him to Switzerland. Vicky McClure contributes spoken word on “Haircut.” McClure sent 55 voice-note apologies to artists he had insulted, including Matt Healy of The 1975, Calvin Harris and Alex Turner, saying he wanted to move beyond past “rage, anger, hostility.”

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• Age at release: 44

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• Voice-note apologies sent: 55

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• Prior album peak: #6 (UK)

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• Recent Sheffield gig: 10,000 attendees (August 2023)

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McClure’s openness about ADHD and grief adds a high-profile voice to UK mental-health dialogue. Politically, he has moved from vocal support for Jeremy Corbyn and a 2018 clash with Piers Morgan to describing himself as “not a centrist or neoliberal” and seeking dialogue, as shown by a meeting with Sir Keir Starmer on the Crucible Theatre’s snooker event. He also backs Sheffield FC, pledging to “arrest 169 years of dysfunctional activity” and develop the club as a city-wide attraction.

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McClure said his ADHD diagnosis clarified a lifelong sense of mis-placement and that his new outlook “doesn’t see life in black-and-white absolutes.” He credited Richard Hawley for urging the Sheffield recording, noting the city’s “working-class” ethos shapes the album’s tone. He said he is “not a centrist or neoliberal” but now prefers dialogue over confrontation.

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McClure’s past spats—such as a tweet calling Matt Healy “a d**khead” and a jab at Calvin Harris (“McDonald’s music”)—were criticised as hostile. Some view his apology campaign as performative rather than lasting change.

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• “I look like a Colombian crime lord, or a young Jim Bowen.” — Jon McClure, Musician

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• “I can be full of love and joy, but what’s the inverse of that? Rage, anger, hostility. Who wants to carry that round for the rest of their life? Let it go.” — Jon McClure

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• “I was in my kitchen just having a brew” — Robbie Williams, Singer

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• “I used to think life was very black and white, dealing in absolutes, like a cowboy film, goodies and baddies. You’re happy or you’re sad. I guess it’s my way of saying that emotions are not a linear thing.” — Jon McClure

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McClure plans to advance Sheffield FC’s stadium project and develop the club as a city-wide tourist attraction.

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