by Sharon MawerOpening with a swirling psychedelic sound, the title track of The State Of Things by Reverend & The Makers moved quickly into an indie rock track complete with 1990s Madchester style bass line, danceable drum beat and jangly guitars. Led by Jon McClure whose former band Judan Suki featured among many others, Alex Turner and Matt Helders who later went on to form The Arctic Monkeys, indeed the links continued with Reverend & The Makers, the support act for the Monkeys on their tour in 2006 and Turner adding backing vocals and guitar on the track Sex With The Ex. McClure then went through most of the rest of the album attempting to be witty and controversial with his observant lyrics and social commentary on modern urban life. It had all been said before and by poets with far more cynicism and realism in their voices than the good Reverend. The State Of Things included the hit singles Heavyweight Champion Of The World and He Said He Loved Me about a young girl's experience with a date who wasn't particularly honest, featuring counter vocals by Laura Manuel on the chorus sounding like a Lily Allen/Kate Nash typical teenage girl. A confident debut album but with far too many filler tracks to make any sort of lasting impression.