Bring on the Revolution

Then again, he does get himself in a tangle talking to journalists. "I've been a bit of a silly boy," he says in his latest sermon to The Star. "I've got an inability to lie so whenever people say 'what do you think of someone' I will tell them.

"You see, there's lot of business show people around, as I call them. But I cannot lie and have been quite naive and said naughty things about people in interviews. So people think I'm a bit of a hater."

And that, says the former Boardwalk barman, is not what his band The Makers are about. As his recent experiences in Belgium demonstrated when he attempted to reconcile imposed ethnic divisions being drafted by the government there.

"Abroad I've made an attempt to speak the language so I said to them in Flemish, 'you've all been dancing to our music in one-ness, why do you want to let those men in suits divide you?' And the place went mental.

"You see, the ethos of this band is all peace and love and Lenny Bruce. Our band is about unity and I feel like it could be a force for good things."

That's not to say the album that follows annoying new single He Said He Loved Me - "I wanted to piss people off," admits Join in response - is a bed of roses.

Aside from the desire to flee the rat race or jump off the social conveyor belt as messaged in debut hit Heavyweight Champion Of The World, it tackles other modern issues such as gambling and Stella-fuelled domestic unrest, but in a way that can galvanise any club floor.

"It goes on all over the world," he says of the subject matter. "Our message is a universal one. It might be culled from Sheffield in the first instance but people are people wherever they live, there's always a parity."

Plenty of that seemed to concur at the recent Carling Weekend where Jon and band experienced overspill from the same Carling Stage marquee his chums Arctic Monkeys experienced as an unsigned act just two years ago.

In fact, it could be said with his strong accent - more Ian Brown than Alex Turner - there'sa sense McClure is a natural progression from the Arctics explosion, although the music and the vocal and melody combination sometimes reminds of Manchester's Beloved with a less sugary coating.

That's partly down to Primal Scream producer Jgaz Kooner who gives the elasticated grooves a Teflon edge. "I heard Swaztika Eyes," says Jon of his production choice. "Sonically that was located in 2060 and I wanted to make what I thought was the first, truly 21st century album, something that sounded amazing and was lyrically routed in the 21st century.

"In my mind I have made it; different voices and styles reflecting the experience of living in the 21st century."

And it's been getting the Reverend around a bit.

When he's not been asked questions by Cosmo Girl the lofty bard has been mixing it with the Kaisers in Ibiza and getting asked to go to the Congo by Damon Albarn after sharing a stage with the former Blur man at Glastonbury.

"I've been having an amazing time," he confirms. "It's always good playing to people who've not seen you before as they haven't got you in their pigeonhole. I feel like Sheffield is a cage for me and when people tried to write me into pigeonholes I refused to be part of any scene."

Jon says he's chuffed to be asked to do stuff by "more established artists with social consciences" but reckons his fellow young artists need to get their conscience together.

"Forget the business show and get back to showbusiness, to doing things with morality rather than being business minded; going where the people are rather than where the money is," says Jon whose free-flowing lyrics often suggest the lansing of a social boil.

"Ian Brown likes the cut of my jib apparently - in Britain I am the only person willing to stand up and say stuff, so we are never going to be the cherished darlings."

That said, Jon swiftly counters the value of soapbox musicians. "Beth Ditto I respect for her stance on certain subjects, but with regard the melting ice caps and Iraq she's a small dot on the bigger scale. I don't want to be pretentious, but we make pop music.

"And there's a movement happening in this country, a rejection of the cult of celebrity, people sacking off Big Brother and the opium of fame.

"We live in the era of instant gratification, but people are looking for truth and meaning. People are waking up from slumber and apathy and looking for people to lead that and say 'it's a great world'. I'm not a negative person, I am very positive. And if people don't want to get the message, fine. If I can get through to as many people as possible great.

"Every moment I am here I feel blessed to do it. The fact people want to listen is a pleasure and a privilege. When people ask when are you having a day off I say 'from what, myself?'. I am making up for lost time."