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Interview
by SashaS
22-1-2003
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| There is no smoke without Reef |
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Reefing to destination
Reef on pursuit of quality over “rubbish music”
It is that season again when compilations take over the charts and we’ll have quite a few of them this year, from Elvis to U2 via The Stones; joining them somewhat is Reef, a West Country-originating/London-based band that are about to celebrate 10th rocking anniversary. Entitled ‘Together’, it contains five new tracks with “Another 9 of our biggest songs attached to them,” singer Gary Stringer explains.
The songs are new but they still contain that unmistakable sound of Reef, still playing to their own score and by their own rules. The band’s never paid any attention to the trends and “Cuts of trousers that determine sonic vogue” [© Madness, circa 1980] and have stubbornly continued the great Brit-rock tradition from the 1970s that knew how to create melodious, loudish, funking, all round ear-pleasing and muscle-engaging songs.
There are a lot of empty armchairs around a 12-place conference table at the Sony’s offices: Stringer is only accompanied by guitarist Kenwyn House. Ken appears to be happy in his herb-state while Stringer is assembling the next ‘stick’; some habits die hard, despite being a father-of-two, eh Gary? We start talking about the new songs, one of which is a cover of The First Editions’ ‘Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Conditions Was In)’ they lifted from ‘The Big Lebowski’ soundtrack.
Well, nice plot: after two years of taking-it-easy you cut an EP and end up with a whole album?!
“Not bad going, eh?” Gary smiles. “It actually happened the other way around. We were told to go and write the fifth album, which we did, but then after we finished demoing, amassed enough good songs we could agree on, we don’t wanna make rubbish music but quality… We had 30 songs and 20 were considered for recording but then the company decided that it might be a good idea, as we had been away for a full year, to have three or four new songs and Top 30 hits.”
“We were cool about it,” Stringer continues, “but some people said we might be gutted by it but we aren’t. We got an EP out of it, we are happy and proud of the songs and there is not one we wish we could re-do.”
Set the record stringer
Short-shorn Stringer and long-coiffed House, with bassist Jack Bessant and drummer Dominic Greensmith, have already returned to live work but are really looking forward to extensive touring as they’ve been off far too long.
“Yeah, man, we just wanna keep busy,” Stringer enthuses, “keep on playing music, do some TV work… It’ll be great because we are playing some small venues, we haven’t played in a long time and I’m really looking forward to some places where I almost got in fights.”
Reef have never fitted any market demands during their career but things haven’t been as bad as they are now, with all the karaoke-catwalk ‘stars’ and emerging ‘noisy-guitars’ brigade.
“There is definite increase in pop,” Stringer concurs, “and it’s always been present but this time it’s gone big time; connected with TV, it’s a Reality-programme, it rules. Our music is different, new songs are really big (pop) rock songs, it’s not indie, they are strong, big… whatever. I’m happy with what we are doing and dissing the rest makes no difference, it is boring.”
“There is too much bubble-gum around,” Stringer punches in, “like Nu-metal, or punk bands out of America, it’s becoming like too much of a formula. Too rigid, too derivative, too predictable: it’s like they all paid too much attention to details rather than any content.”
“The Strokes are like Menswear,” House chips in, “with more money to splash on style.”
Neo time’s step
‘Together’ isn’t simply a ‘Greatest Hits plus’ release but it also marks the end of a period. Nothing terminal but a time to stock-take and lead to… where exactly?
“We can criticise new artists,” Stringer admits, “but we went through a period when people were telling us we were so 1970s. I used to tell them that it was 1995 or whatever, and although we were inspired by that period, it is the spirit of it… I feel that our music has always been ‘NOW’, doing it this moment, expressing yourself now, not relying on computers, we like it real.”
“I grew up listening to AC/DC, Bad Company and Jane’s Addiction,” Stringer remembers, “and these are my influences. That’s where I come from and am glad to continue that tradition. We are just being honest, we don’t pretend but play music we love.”
A Reef song comes on the radio; has Stringer ever sung along to it?
“No, never, well…” Gary pauses. “I did it once only, in my brother’s car: he’s got TVR Cabriolet and ‘Don’t You Like It’ came on… It felt right at the time but that was the only occasion!”
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(Originally published 01 October 2002)
SashaS
22-1-2003
Reef’s album ‘Together’ release has been postponed until 27 January 2003 by S2
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