Cool Band Of The Month!

REEF

You've seen them in that Sony MiniDisc ad right? Looking all cool and American and New York sussed right? Well actually, old boy, Reef happen to be 100% British. And they're good. Think of Led Zeppelin crossed with the Black Crowes and a touch of vintage Stones mixed up with a 90s style groove and you have Reef. And the new album's out now (stangely enough it's on Sony!). And they're on tour.

The Album: Replenish

Sony: All Formats

Blimey! Up-and-coming British aren't supposed to sound like this - well,good - are they? Reef well and truly live up to the buzz created by their live shows, with an accomplished, polished album produced by Clive Martin.

The band boasts a lively, toe-tapping rhythm section in bassist Jack and drummer Dominic, but the real stars of the show are vocalist Gary and guitarist Kenwyn. Gary posesses a distinctive voice, but demonstrates the bluesy edge of a Chris Robinson on "Naked" and "Repulsive", whilst his resemblance to Robert Plant on the self-descriptive "Mellow" is so striking it sounds like a piss-take!

Meanwhile, Kenwyn is equally at home dealing out a confident, fat guitar groove or a lighter, more delicate piece of string pickin', while the whole band intimate how well they can jam together on the lazy drawn-out "Choose To Live".

Aside from the musicianship, there's a freshness and ear-tweaking originality to the songwriting that brings to mind the first time you heard a band like Blind Melon or Jane's Addiction. Even at this early stage in their careers, Reef already have a distinctly recognisable sound of their own which bodes well for the future.

Valerie Potter, Metal Hammer


Track Listing

  1. Feed Me
  2. Naked
  3. Good Feeling
  4. Repulsive
  5. Mellow
  6. Together
  7. Replenish
  8. Choose To Live
  9. Comfort
  10. Loose
  11. End

Live At the London Astoria


Anyone who had heard anything of Reef on record before tonight's gig (supporting Deus) might have been expecting something good. Few of tonight's audience, however, would have expected the quite staggering bombardment by a four-piece who brought together enviable songwriting, sonic power and an electrifying, whirlwind performance to form a critical mass which, when detinated, left any number of supposedly explosive bands looking like flattened builfdings in the aftermath ofa nuclear explosion.

Playing a smash-and-grab set of only four songs, and on stage for less than half an hour, the volatile mixture of aggressive, bluesy guitar, a ball-breaking rhythm section with creative flair, and a vocalist with lung power and stage presence in abundance, not least of Reef's achievments was in keeping the energetic performance just on the right side of the potentially hazardous cliff edge where full-on-and-then-some collapses into chaos.

If ever the 'leave the audience wanting more' ethic (rather than, as with most bands, playing until after their sell by date and then adding a pointless encore for good measure) needed demonstrating, Reef did so tonight in quite stylish fashion.


Paul Henderson


Reef On Tour

Tues 25th July Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms 01705 863911

  • Weds 26th July
    Bristol Bierkeller 0117 926 8514

  • Thurs 27th July
    Liverpool Krazy House 0151 709 4321

  • Sat 29 July
    Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 01902 312030

  • Sun 30th July
    Stoke Wheatsheaf 01782 207777

  • Mon 31st July
    Leeds Cockpit 0113 24555570

  • Weds 2nd August
    London LA2 0171 434 0403 Credit Card Hotline 0171 287 0932

  • Thurs 3rd August
    Northampton Roadmender 01604 604222








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    HEAD. Created by Vici McDonald & PJ Fisher 1995