Reverend & The Makers: Sheffield band releases new Christmas single in support of Samaritans
Sheffield’s Reverend & The Makers have unveiled their new Christmas single.
‘Late Night Phone Call’ has been officially released today, Friday, November 15, alongside a music video in support of the emotional support charity Samaritans.
For band frontman Jon McClure, he said the single contains a lot of emotion for him and his loved ones as his late father, John, was a ‘big fan’ of the song before he died in April of this year.
Jon said: “My mum and friends all cried when they heard the song. My dad was a big fan of it before he passed away so there’s a lot of emotion wrapped up in it too as it’s our first Christmas without him.”
He described the single as a “weird one”, as “it isn’t a Christmas song and doesn’t really have a chorus” - yet Jon said it felt like a Christmas pop song from the very beginning.
He said: “It’s also based loosely on a true story where I went out and had a gallon of Guinness and rang Laura [McClure, Jon’s wife] up on the way home drunkenly telling her that I love her.
“As you can see in the video, she wasn’t initially too impressed given the hour but obviously I won her round with a bit of the old Northern charm.”
The festive season can highlight feelings of loneliness and isolation for many people and is an issue close to Jon’s heart. Since 2020, he has been offering private one-on-one online shows on Christmas Day for fans spending the day alone.
By lending support to Samaritans, Reverend & The Makers hope to draw attention to the issue and the support that is available.
Jon said: “I wanted to get Samaritans involved as people being alone and in a bad place at Christmas time is something that has always really bothered me.
“Every year on Christmas day, I Zoom a bunch of people who are alone and struggling and play them a song to cheer them up a little.
“I kinda thought we could go one step further with that this year and direct them towards a charity that is there to help with this. Times are tough for a lot of people and it’s not hard as an artist to help people in this way.”
Julie Bentley, chief executive of Samaritans, said she will keep her fingers crossed that the single makes it to Christmas number one.
She added: “Sadly, loneliness is one of the most common concerns we hear about, particularly during the festive season but, unlike Jon, no one should worry about waking our volunteers up with a late night phone call – they are here 24/7, even on Christmas day, to help anyone struggling with their mental wellbeing.”
The music video sees Jon serenading the love of his life, stumbling his drunken way home, building towards a dramatic, soul revue crescendo.
It marks the first new material to be released by the Sheffield five-piece since their seventh studio album ‘Heatwave In The Cold North’ which debuted at number six last year, giving the band their first Top 10 album since their debut album.
Reverend & The Makers will play their biggest headline show to date at Rock N Roll Circus at Don Valley Bowl in Sheffield on August 30 2025.