Reef (band)
Encyclopedia
Reef are an English
band from Glastonbury
. The band members includes Gary Stringer on vocals, Kenwyn House on guitar
, Jack Bessant on bass
and Dominic Greensmith on drums
.
In 1993 while Bessant and Stringer were looking for band members, House had met up with Dominic Greensmith (from Ilfracombe
, Devon
) in London
, and discussed forming a band. The foursome finally got together, and started to jam, producing the extremely rare "Purple Tape" demo
. The Purple Tape was recorded under the name Naked, later to become Reef, due to other bands having the same name.
After recording
a couple of tracks, the band spent much of 1994 touring and building up a fan base. They signed to S2, an off-shoot of Sony
. Their first single
"Good Feeling" was released on an independent label, but financed by Sony, then as an official Sony S2 release in early 1995. This paved the way for "Naked" which was used in a TV
advert for the Sony MiniDisc
in which a record company executive hears the track on MiniDisc, throws it out of the window disapprovingly, but a young man outside picks it up, listens to it and likes it (demonstrating the format's durability). Indeed they were somewhat slated for this act, but have insisted in interviews that of course they were a young band and were offered a chance that any young band would not resist. However, they overcame the criticism, and took their time.
and Soundgarden
, amongst others.
Both the Good Feeling and Naked singles came from Reef’s 1995 release, their now gold
debut album Replenish. The album was recorded in the remote Cornish Sawmills recording studio
and in a studio in Bath.
"We wanted our first album, Replenish, to be a really honest statement. Four people playing in a room and getting something that’s totally their own. It was recorded in the most basic way possible. Minimal room sounds. Up until recently, all I used for effects was a wah-pedal and I only used that on two songs." Kenwyn House.
Hot on the heels of Replenish, in summer 1995, came a non-album, four-track single release entitled "Weird". It was a very non-commercial track and Reef had said the release was aimed at the fans. Sunrise Shakers, one of the B-sides to Weird, was later featured in snowboarding film Day Tripper, by independent film maker Christian Stevenson. Stevenson, known for his films about extreme and free sports, was later to direct a promotional video for Reef, for their Sweety single in 1999.
The follow-up to Replenish was 1997's Glow, which was more diverse, with the band using different instruments
and creating a more interesting style. Glow was recorded under the direction of The Black Crowes
' record producer
, George Drakoulious and engineered by Jim Scott, in Los Angeles
. It spawned the hit singles "Place Your Hands", "Come Back Brighter", "Consideration" and "Yer Old" which increased Reef’s profile in the UK
and abroad. On the week of its release, Glow went straight to number 1 in the UK Albums Chart
.
"Place Your Hands", released on 21 October 1996, was Reef’s most successful single to date, reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart. The song explains the grief that Stringer felt following the death of his grandfather, and easing the pain of death. The video for "Place Your Hands", directed by David Moulder, features the band members on pulleys and wires to create an energetic aerial display.
During their touring in late 1996, Reef were supported by Feeder
, who were at the time laying the foundations for their own career.
In early 1999 Reef released their third album Rides, recorded at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, the same studios used by The Beach Boys for Pet Sounds and Michael Jackson for Thriller. They swapped instruments
on some tracks with Stringer and Greensmith playing guitar
and Bessant singing on one song. Working again with Glow producer George Drakoulias, the band also enlisted the skills of David Campbell (father of American artist Beck
) for the string arrangements. Rose Stone of Sly and the Family Stone fame features as a backing singer. Jack told NME magazine that the album was showing a more mature side to Reef but they were still having fun, using slide guitars, and trying to achieve a “filmic” feel to some tracks. The album was very well received by critics, but commercially could not match the earlier success of its predecessor Glow.
drama series Red Cap, starring Tamzin Outhwaite
.
The "Superhero" single released in the same year, features a video
of an impromptu gig
held at Bessant's Hoxton Square
flat, in London, in the summer of that year. Bessant was vacating the property and used the opportunity to hold a small gig with a select guest list, predominantly from the music industry. One notable guest was Andrea Corr
, whilst also in attendance were BBC Radio 1
, plus Kerrang!
and NME
magazine
s.
The third and final release from Getaway, was “All I Want,” a ballad, and substantially different from the first two releases. Despite good airplay on Radio 2, the single only peaked at number 51 in the UK charts. The video features the members of the band stranded in a drifting lifeboat, drawing straws for who would sacrifice themselves to save the others.
Late 2000 saw Reef facing legal action from the U.S.
company South Cone Inc. for infringement of their trademark, Reef Brazil (as found on sandals and footwear), on the basis that t-shirts, and other merhandising such as stickers, caps and keyrings could cause confusion in the marketplace. The South Cone action failed on account of their mark actually being REEF BRAZIL rather than REEF, and because their primary business and reputation was with the sale of sandals and footwear. Also important to the outcome was the fact that Reef (the band) were using the t-shirts and other items as marketing for the band rather than trying to promote the t-shirts (or any other clothing, including footwear) as a commodity in themselves. Reef (the band) were awarded £1000.
During 2001, after a low key tour supporting Texas
, they took a long summer break, in North Devon, to write new material for their fifth album. The self financed sessions were deliberately performed at arms length from their record label
and the music industry in general, and Reef enjoyed the opportunity to return to their earlier, more basic approach to making music
. In an interview to the BBC Jack said “It's a harder sound, like when we first came out - a deep sound, heavy, I really like that.” Whilst they had a lot of new material, Sony forced Reef to only use around a third of this material as part of a greatest hits offering entitled Together - The Best of Reef released in January 2003. Jack Bessant denounced the complete lack of support from Sony and Kenwyn House called the release “a kiss of death.” Many fans
felt the new material had been some of their best work for some time.
At the end of 2001 Reef played the Surfers Against Sewage
Christmas Ball, in Bournemouth
. They had previously played the SAS summer ball in 1995 in Newquay
.
In January 2003, their original drummer Greensmith quit the band on the eve of a major UK tour, and as the greatest hits were released. He was replaced by the relatively unknown Nathan Curran.
Curran had also drummed for Basement Jaxx
and R&B
act, Lady Sovereign
.
It was on this tour that the Live DVD
was recorded at Bristol
’s Carling Academy. Around this time Reef also appeared on the BBC's re:covered
programme covering Black Sabbath
’s "War Pigs", which appeared as a B-side
to "Waster", Reef’s last single, and their only single on the Snapper Music record label
.
Headlining the Falmouth Regatta Week, on 15 August 2003, was to be the final live Reef appearance, before the band split up.
In total they have had eight UK Top 20 singles.
"Place Your Hands" remains a party and compilation
favourite. Reef played a small parody of this for Chris Evans TFI Friday
show in the late nineties, for a feature called ‘It’s Your Letters’. Evans claimed that the band had contacted him to stop playing the clip, as fans were apparently singing along at gigs, but these allegations were largely unfounded. However Evans later denied the claims stating he was misquoted. Indeed the band had written to Evans, however Gary Stringer explained it differently, “We don’t want people to think that’s all we’re about” and went on “... he’s gone on telly and said we storm offstage whenever someone in the crowd sings that version of it. But no-one ever does sing that version. I think he thinks his influence and power is a lot more widespread than it actually is.”
They also played at the Reading Festival in 1999 and have had several appearances at Glastonbury Festival
, and its local offshoot the Pilton Party held every year in September for local residents.
Stringer appeared at the Bristol Academy as a guest DJ
on 28 February 2004.
Tragedy struck on 3 April 2006 when Martin Gilks
, their former manager
and The Wonder Stuff
drummer, was killed in a motorcycle accident. He died aged 41, from internal injuries at St George's Hospital, Tooting, London. Gilks managed Reef with his brother Tank, alongside other bands, through their management company Furtive Mass Transit Systems. The original Reef line-up reformed to play three songs at the memorial in April 2006.
House formed a short lived project called McArthur, while Greensmith started touring with his new band, Kubb
fronted by vocalist Harry Collier, formerly of Cornish
funk band Rootjoose. Kubb released their first album in 2006, and during spring 2007 they are writing material for their second album. In March 2007, he was recruited as a touring member of Carbon/Silicon
, a rock duo
consisting of punk rock
legends Mick Jones
of The Clash
and Tony James
of Generation X
.
In 2006 their "Come Back Brighter" was named the thirty second best indie anthem of all time by The Hits
. The band were reported as being "delighted and honoured".
House is also a teacher
and assessor at Brighton
’s Institute of Modern Music.
Stringer and Bessant formed a new band "Them Is Me". Other members include Jonas Jalhay on guitar (other bands: Lady Sovereign, Imma) and Nathan "Tugg" Curran on drums (ex-Reef, Basement Jaxx, Kano). Stringer and Bessant continue with their original roles as singer and bass player respectively. Having rehearsed in London over the summer, they played their first gig at the Sandsifter bar in Gwithian near Hayle, Cornwall, on the 14 September 2007. After several low-key venues in Cornwall, they recorded some demo tracks at a recording studio in Monmouth.
Stringer and Bessant have an acoustic project called "StringerBessant" with both musicians playing acoutic guitars. Their debut album "Yard" is released on "Xtra Mile Recordings
" on 12 July 2010.
in London, was their first in seven years. The band also performed at the 2010 Isle Of Wight Festival
, Cornbury Festival and Glastonbury Festival
.
and 1997
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
band from Glastonbury
Glastonbury
Glastonbury is a small town in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,784 in the 2001 census...
. The band members includes Gary Stringer on vocals, Kenwyn House on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Jack Bessant on bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and Dominic Greensmith on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
.
Early days
Although most members of Reef have West Country connections, it was not until the four members met in London that the band was formed.In 1993 while Bessant and Stringer were looking for band members, House had met up with Dominic Greensmith (from Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England with a small harbour, surrounded by cliffs.The parish stretches along the coast from 'The Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and 4 miles along The Torrs to Lee Bay toward the west...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
) in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and discussed forming a band. The foursome finally got together, and started to jam, producing the extremely rare "Purple Tape" demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
. The Purple Tape was recorded under the name Naked, later to become Reef, due to other bands having the same name.
After recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
a couple of tracks, the band spent much of 1994 touring and building up a fan base. They signed to S2, an off-shoot of Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
. Their first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Good Feeling" was released on an independent label, but financed by Sony, then as an official Sony S2 release in early 1995. This paved the way for "Naked" which was used in a TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
advert for the Sony MiniDisc
MiniDisc
The disc is permanently housed in a cartridge with a sliding door, similar to the casing of a 3.5" floppy disk. This shutter is opened automatically by a mechanism upon insertion. The audio discs can either be recordable or premastered. Recordable MiniDiscs use a magneto-optical system to record...
in which a record company executive hears the track on MiniDisc, throws it out of the window disapprovingly, but a young man outside picks it up, listens to it and likes it (demonstrating the format's durability). Indeed they were somewhat slated for this act, but have insisted in interviews that of course they were a young band and were offered a chance that any young band would not resist. However, they overcame the criticism, and took their time.
Commercial success
During their touring in '94 and '95 Reef supported Paul Weller, The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
, amongst others.
Both the Good Feeling and Naked singles came from Reef’s 1995 release, their now gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
debut album Replenish. The album was recorded in the remote Cornish Sawmills recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
and in a studio in Bath.
"We wanted our first album, Replenish, to be a really honest statement. Four people playing in a room and getting something that’s totally their own. It was recorded in the most basic way possible. Minimal room sounds. Up until recently, all I used for effects was a wah-pedal and I only used that on two songs." Kenwyn House.
Hot on the heels of Replenish, in summer 1995, came a non-album, four-track single release entitled "Weird". It was a very non-commercial track and Reef had said the release was aimed at the fans. Sunrise Shakers, one of the B-sides to Weird, was later featured in snowboarding film Day Tripper, by independent film maker Christian Stevenson. Stevenson, known for his films about extreme and free sports, was later to direct a promotional video for Reef, for their Sweety single in 1999.
The follow-up to Replenish was 1997's Glow, which was more diverse, with the band using different instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
and creating a more interesting style. Glow was recorded under the direction of The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes
The Black Crowes are an American rock band formed in 1989. Their discography includes nine studio albums, four live albums and several charting singles. The band was signed to Def American Recordings in 1989 by producer George Drakoulias and released their debut album, Shake Your Money Maker, the...
' record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, George Drakoulious and engineered by Jim Scott, in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It spawned the hit singles "Place Your Hands", "Come Back Brighter", "Consideration" and "Yer Old" which increased Reef’s profile in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and abroad. On the week of its release, Glow went straight to number 1 in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
"Place Your Hands", released on 21 October 1996, was Reef’s most successful single to date, reaching number 6 in the UK singles chart. The song explains the grief that Stringer felt following the death of his grandfather, and easing the pain of death. The video for "Place Your Hands", directed by David Moulder, features the band members on pulleys and wires to create an energetic aerial display.
During their touring in late 1996, Reef were supported by Feeder
Feeder
-Technology:* Feeder , any of several devices used in apiculture to supplement or replace natural food sources* Feeder , another name for a riser, a reservoir built into a metal casting mold to prevent cavities due to shrinkage...
, who were at the time laying the foundations for their own career.
In early 1999 Reef released their third album Rides, recorded at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles, the same studios used by The Beach Boys for Pet Sounds and Michael Jackson for Thriller. They swapped instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
on some tracks with Stringer and Greensmith playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and Bessant singing on one song. Working again with Glow producer George Drakoulias, the band also enlisted the skills of David Campbell (father of American artist Beck
Beck
Beck Hansen is an American musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, known by the stage name Beck...
) for the string arrangements. Rose Stone of Sly and the Family Stone fame features as a backing singer. Jack told NME magazine that the album was showing a more mature side to Reef but they were still having fun, using slide guitars, and trying to achieve a “filmic” feel to some tracks. The album was very well received by critics, but commercially could not match the earlier success of its predecessor Glow.
Later work
The fourth album and most commercial work yet, Getaway (Sony) was released in 2000, and was produced by Al Clay, who has also produced for the Pixies and Stereophonics. "Set The Record Straight" was the highlight of the album, and this track was also used as the theme tune for the BBC TelevisionBBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
drama series Red Cap, starring Tamzin Outhwaite
Tamzin Outhwaite
Tamzin Maria Outhwaite is an award-winning English actress. She became known for her role as Melanie Owen in the British soap opera EastEnders, whom she portrayed from 1998 until 2002.-Early career:...
.
The "Superhero" single released in the same year, features a video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of an impromptu gig
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
held at Bessant's Hoxton Square
Hoxton Square
Hoxton Square is a garden square situated in Hoxton in the London Borough of Hackney, in London's East End. Formerly home to industrial premises, since the 1990s it has become the heart of the Hoxton arts and media scene, as well as being a hub of the thriving local entertainment district...
flat, in London, in the summer of that year. Bessant was vacating the property and used the opportunity to hold a small gig with a select guest list, predominantly from the music industry. One notable guest was Andrea Corr
Andrea Corr
Andrea Jane Corr is an Irish musician, songwriter and actress. Corr debuted in 1990 as the lead singer of the Celtic folk rock and pop rock group The Corrs along with her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon, and Jim...
, whilst also in attendance were BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, plus Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
and NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s.
The third and final release from Getaway, was “All I Want,” a ballad, and substantially different from the first two releases. Despite good airplay on Radio 2, the single only peaked at number 51 in the UK charts. The video features the members of the band stranded in a drifting lifeboat, drawing straws for who would sacrifice themselves to save the others.
Late 2000 saw Reef facing legal action from the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
company South Cone Inc. for infringement of their trademark, Reef Brazil (as found on sandals and footwear), on the basis that t-shirts, and other merhandising such as stickers, caps and keyrings could cause confusion in the marketplace. The South Cone action failed on account of their mark actually being REEF BRAZIL rather than REEF, and because their primary business and reputation was with the sale of sandals and footwear. Also important to the outcome was the fact that Reef (the band) were using the t-shirts and other items as marketing for the band rather than trying to promote the t-shirts (or any other clothing, including footwear) as a commodity in themselves. Reef (the band) were awarded £1000.
During 2001, after a low key tour supporting Texas
Texas (band)
Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
, they took a long summer break, in North Devon, to write new material for their fifth album. The self financed sessions were deliberately performed at arms length from their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
and the music industry in general, and Reef enjoyed the opportunity to return to their earlier, more basic approach to making music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. In an interview to the BBC Jack said “It's a harder sound, like when we first came out - a deep sound, heavy, I really like that.” Whilst they had a lot of new material, Sony forced Reef to only use around a third of this material as part of a greatest hits offering entitled Together - The Best of Reef released in January 2003. Jack Bessant denounced the complete lack of support from Sony and Kenwyn House called the release “a kiss of death.” Many fans
Fan (person)
A Fan, sometimes also called aficionado or supporter, is a person with a liking and enthusiasm for something, such as a band or a sports team. Fans of a particular thing or person constitute its fanbase or fandom...
felt the new material had been some of their best work for some time.
At the end of 2001 Reef played the Surfers Against Sewage
Surfers against Sewage
Surfers Against Sewage is a campaign for clean, safe recreational water free from sewage effluents, toxic chemicals, nuclear waste and marine litter. SAS also campaigns to protect surf spots from environmental damage, negative impacts on wave quality and to safeguard wave riders right of access....
Christmas Ball, in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. They had previously played the SAS summer ball in 1995 in Newquay
Newquay
Newquay is a town, civil parish, seaside resort and fishing port in Cornwall, England. It is situated on the North Atlantic coast of Cornwall approximately west of Bodmin and north of Truro....
.
In January 2003, their original drummer Greensmith quit the band on the eve of a major UK tour, and as the greatest hits were released. He was replaced by the relatively unknown Nathan Curran.
Curran had also drummed for Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
act, Lady Sovereign
Lady Sovereign
Louise Amanda Harman , better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is an English rapper & grime artist. She is noted for her professional success in performing styles of music generally dominated by males...
.
It was on this tour that the Live DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
was recorded at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
’s Carling Academy. Around this time Reef also appeared on the BBC's re:covered
Re:covered
Re:covered was a music television show broadcast in the UK on BBC Choice in 2002 and hosted by Dermot O'Leary. Each of the ten half-hour shows featured three bands or artists who, in turn, played two songs – a current track of their own, and a cover version of their choice.A Re:covered Elvis...
programme covering Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
’s "War Pigs", which appeared as a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to "Waster", Reef’s last single, and their only single on the Snapper Music record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
.
Headlining the Falmouth Regatta Week, on 15 August 2003, was to be the final live Reef appearance, before the band split up.
In total they have had eight UK Top 20 singles.
"Place Your Hands" remains a party and compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
favourite. Reef played a small parody of this for Chris Evans TFI Friday
TFI Friday
TFI Friday is an entertainment show broadcast on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom from 1996 to 2000. The show produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first 5 series. The final series was hosted by a number of Guest Presenters. It was broadcast on...
show in the late nineties, for a feature called ‘It’s Your Letters’. Evans claimed that the band had contacted him to stop playing the clip, as fans were apparently singing along at gigs, but these allegations were largely unfounded. However Evans later denied the claims stating he was misquoted. Indeed the band had written to Evans, however Gary Stringer explained it differently, “We don’t want people to think that’s all we’re about” and went on “... he’s gone on telly and said we storm offstage whenever someone in the crowd sings that version of it. But no-one ever does sing that version. I think he thinks his influence and power is a lot more widespread than it actually is.”
They also played at the Reading Festival in 1999 and have had several appearances at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
, and its local offshoot the Pilton Party held every year in September for local residents.
2004 - Change of direction
Reef took a long break from their constant touring.Stringer appeared at the Bristol Academy as a guest DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
on 28 February 2004.
Tragedy struck on 3 April 2006 when Martin Gilks
Martin Gilks
Martin Richard Gilks was an English musician. He was a founder member and original drummer for The Wonder Stuff, based in Stourbridge ....
, their former manager
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
and The Wonder Stuff
The Wonder Stuff
The Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock band, originally based in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in the Black Country, England.-Origins:...
drummer, was killed in a motorcycle accident. He died aged 41, from internal injuries at St George's Hospital, Tooting, London. Gilks managed Reef with his brother Tank, alongside other bands, through their management company Furtive Mass Transit Systems. The original Reef line-up reformed to play three songs at the memorial in April 2006.
House formed a short lived project called McArthur, while Greensmith started touring with his new band, Kubb
Kubb (band)
Kubb are a British indie rock band from London, who had two UK top 40 hits in 2005/6 and a top 30 album. Original member Ben Langmaid went on to become half of the duo La Roux.- Biography :...
fronted by vocalist Harry Collier, formerly of Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
funk band Rootjoose. Kubb released their first album in 2006, and during spring 2007 they are writing material for their second album. In March 2007, he was recruited as a touring member of Carbon/Silicon
Carbon/Silicon
Carbon/Silicon is a punk rock duo consisting of two experienced punk rock musicians: Mick Jones formerly of The Clash and former Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik member Tony James. The band formed around 2002.-Career:...
, a rock duo
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
consisting of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
legends Mick Jones
Mick Jones (The Clash)
Michael Geoffrey "Mick" Jones is the former lead guitarist, secondary vocalist and co-founder for the British punk rock band The Clash until his dismissal in 1983. He went on to form the band Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts before line-up changes led to the formation of Big Audio Dynamite II and...
of The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and Tony James
Tony James
Tony James is a British musician, best known as a bassist of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik.- Career :He was originally a member of the punk band London SS, along with Brian James, , and Mick Jones plus Terry Chimes .Later, James joined the early punk band Chelsea...
of Generation X
Generation X (band)
Generation X was a British punk rock band, formed on 21 November 1976 by Billy Idol, Tony James and John Towe.-History:...
.
In 2006 their "Come Back Brighter" was named the thirty second best indie anthem of all time by The Hits
The Hits
The Hits was a music video channel in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, owned by Box Television.-Overview and availability:The channel showcased a range of pop centering on chart hits and current favourites...
. The band were reported as being "delighted and honoured".
House is also a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and assessor at Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
’s Institute of Modern Music.
Stringer and Bessant formed a new band "Them Is Me". Other members include Jonas Jalhay on guitar (other bands: Lady Sovereign, Imma) and Nathan "Tugg" Curran on drums (ex-Reef, Basement Jaxx, Kano). Stringer and Bessant continue with their original roles as singer and bass player respectively. Having rehearsed in London over the summer, they played their first gig at the Sandsifter bar in Gwithian near Hayle, Cornwall, on the 14 September 2007. After several low-key venues in Cornwall, they recorded some demo tracks at a recording studio in Monmouth.
Stringer and Bessant have an acoustic project called "StringerBessant" with both musicians playing acoutic guitars. Their debut album "Yard" is released on "Xtra Mile Recordings
Xtra Mile Recordings
Xtra Mile Recordings are an independent record label based in London, United Kingdom. It was founded in 2003 by Charlie Caplowe and they release rock albums and singles...
" on 12 July 2010.
2010
In November 2009, Reef announced a reunion tour consisting of six UK concerts planned for April 2010. Tickets went on sale on 30 November 2009. The warm-up appearance at The Monto Water RatsMonto Water Rats
Monto Water Rats, also known as The Monto and Water Rats, is a music venue at 328 Grays Inn Road, Kings Cross, London. Until 1992 it was known as The Pinder of Wakefield....
in London, was their first in seven years. The band also performed at the 2010 Isle Of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
, Cornbury Festival and Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
.
2011
On 7 August 2011, Reef played before the Community Shield final between Manchester City and Manchester UnitedFestival appearances
Reef performed at the Reading Festival in 1995, 1996 and 1999 and at Glastonbury in 2010Glastonbury Festival 2010
The 2010 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts took place in Pilton, Somerset, England in June 2010.The festival was headlined by Gorillaz, Muse, and Stevie Wonder. U2 were initially announced as headliners, but withdrew on 25 May 2010 citing Bono's recent back surgery...
and 1997
Band members
- Gary Stringer - vocals
- Jack Bessant - bass guitar
- Kenwyn House - guitar
- Dominic Greensmith - drums (1993–2003, 2010 onwards)
- Pawel N - guitar (to January 2004)
- Nathan ‘Tugg’ Curran - drums (February to August 2003)
Discography
- ReplenishReplenish (album)-Track listing:#"Feed Me" – 3:44#"Naked" – 3:12#"Good Feeling" – 3:47#"Repulsive" – 5:12#"Mellow" – 3:05#"Together" – 3:57#"Replenish" – 2:45#"Choose to Live" – 6:36#"Comfort" – 3:14#"Loose" – 2:56#"End" – 4:16-Personnel:*Gary Stringer - Lead Vocals...
(1995) - Glow (1997)
- RidesRides (album)Rides is a 1999 British rock album by Somerset group Reef.-Track listing:#"New Bird" – 2:33#"I've Got Something to Say" – 4:03#"Wandering" – 4:28#"Metro" – 3:24#"Hiding" – 5:27#"Sweety" – 3:39#"Locked Inside" – 2:59#"Back In My Place" – 4:11...
(1999) - Getaway (2000)