Reef

At the peak of the Brit-pop movement, Reef stood apart from their British contemporaries, drawing inspiration from the Rolling Stones and the Black Crowes rather than merging sounds reminiscent of the Beatles, the Jam, and the Stone Roses. Through relentless live performances and exposure in a Sony Minidisc player advertisement on television, the quartet built a devoted following that swelled markedly once their breakthrough album Glow arrived.

Formed in the modest town of Street, England, just beyond Glastonbury, the lineup consisted of Gary Stringer on vocals, Kenwyn House on guitar, Jack Bessant on bass, and Dominic Greensmith on drums. Originally operating under the name Big Talk, Stringer and Bessant formed the nucleus, though House initially declined an invitation to participate. After relocating to Cornwall, the project absorbed the Glastonbury outfit No Smoke, whose former singer had departed to pursue life as a Hare Krishna. The combined ensemble briefly operated as Chief before disbanding, with its drummer Paul Winterhart later joining Kula Shaker. Stringer and Bessant parted ways temporarily to travel abroad in search of personal direction. Upon Bessant’s return to England, he enrolled in music studies at the West London Institute, where he encountered House and Greensmith. Stringer soon rejoined them in London, and the four musicians established Naked. In autumn 1993 they cut several demos on what became known as “The Purple Tape” and forwarded the material to S2, a Sony Records subsidiary. The label offered a deal yet required a name change, leading the group to settle on Reef. Extensive United Kingdom touring followed, advancing the band from support slots to headline shows and culminating in an opening appearance for Paul Weller at the Royal Albert Hall in 1994.

Their debut single “Good Feeling” surfaced in March 1995 and entered the Top 20. Months later Reef supplied “Naked” to another Sony Mini-Disc television campaign, which dramatically broadened their audience and propelled the track to number 11. Both songs appeared on the 1995 debut album Replenish, which reached the U.K. Top Ten and earned favorable notices in British metal magazines. After summer festival dates, the non-album single “Weird” became their third Top 20 hit. Sustained touring, including opening slots for the Rolling Stones and Soundgarden, returned Replenish to the U.K. Top Ten in early 1996.

Reef issued the single “Place Your Hands” in autumn 1996; it unexpectedly surged into the Top Ten and set the stage for their second album Glow, which debuted at number one in January 1997 and achieved silver status within its first week. “Come Back Brighter,” released two weeks prior to the album, and “Consideration” both reached the Top Ten. Glow arrived in the United States that spring.

Work on the third album Rides commenced at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles with producer George Drakoulias once more. Issued in 1999, the record climbed into the British Top Five. The fourth album Getaway, produced by Al Clay and featuring contributions from Pixies and Stereophonics credits, followed in 2000 and peaked at number 15. After self-financing sessions to pursue a rawer approach, Sony rejected most of the material, permitting only a few tracks onto the compilation Together: The Best of Reef. Greensmith subsequently exited, with Nathan Curran taking his place, yet the band dissolved shortly thereafter.

Band members pursued separate endeavors: House performed with McArthur, Greensmith formed Kubb and joined the punk supergroup Carbon/Silicon alongside the Clash’s Mick Jones and Generation X’s Tony James, while Stringer and Bessant collaborated in Them Is Me.

Reef reconvened in 2010 for a short tour that included appearances at the Isle of Wight Festival and Glastonbury. Scattered live dates continued through 2011 and 2012 until House departed, succeeded by Jesse Wood. In early 2016 the group released the single “How I Got Over” and supported Coldplay at Wembley Stadium that June. Over the following years they tested new material on the road before traveling to Ireland with Drakoulias to record. The resulting fifth album Revelation, arriving eighteen years after Getaway, emerged at the start of 2018. Their return proved successful, prompting continued activity that yielded the sixth album Shoot Me Your Ace in 2022. Produced by Duran Duran’s Andy Taylor, who subsequently joined Reef as second guitarist, the release delivered loud, raw, raucous hard rock & roll.