Rushonrock Red Hot Track Of The Week: Reef

Track

Wolfman

Artist

Reef

Reef backstory

For fans of Brit rock’s blossoming mid-90s scene it only seems like yesterday that Gary Stringer propositioned baying festival crowds with the anthemic Place Your Hands.

And yet 2023 marks the 30^th anniversary of a band that’s been busily reclaiming its classic rock roots since 2010’s ‘comeback’.

Like the finest of whiskeys, Reef continue to mature into something incredibly special.

But it’s worth remembering that the chart-busting Glastonbury crew perfectly captured the mood with the embryonic alt rock that paced raw debut Replenish and chart-topping follow-up Glow.

Flying in the face of guitar music’s love affair with grunge and narrowly avoiding an uncomfortable menage a trois with Britpop rivals Blur and Oasis, Reef ploughed their own furrow to dizzying effect.

And, as a consequence, their powerful back catalogue still stands the test of time.

The bluesy riffs underpinning 1999’s Rides best represents what the band is doing now.

But it’s well worth revisiting 2018’s Revelation as a pointer for what upcoming long player Shoot Me Your Ace might have to offer.

Produced and starring Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nominee Andy Taylor, Reef’s hotly anticipated return completes a remarkable evolution.

In frontman Gary Stringer’s own words:

“When I see sweat dripping from a ceiling, speakers bouncing, crowds moving, that’s when I know that what we do is relevant no matter what else is going on around us.

“Without that big heartbeat and that primal urge, the rest of it doesn’t mean anything.

“The one job a band has to do is excite people and we know we excite people.”

The verdict on Wolfman

From the opening notes of a razor-sharp riff and the timely introduction of Stringer’s strident howl, Wolfman wastes no time in baring its teeth.

This is incendiary, inspiring, impassioned stuff.

No-holds-barred, barbed-wire heavy blues might not fit with the popular mid-90s Reef narrative.

But listen carefully to the band’s early work and Wolfman has plenty in common with the band’s Brit rock heyday.

Stringer still sounds like one of the bravest singers alive: authentic and aggressive in equal measure, his shining star’s never fallen.

Reef’s very own Wolfman is a man on a mission on this brooding, retro rocker.

Jesse Wood’s coolly emerged from Kenwyn House’s considerable shadow to form a formidable six-string partnership with the reborn Taylor.

And the pair exchange some furious fretwork during Wolfman’s meatier moments.

But what about the B team?

Jack Bessant and Luke Bullen drive home another bullish blast of retro-styled Reef with Taylor’s canny production elevating a rock solid rhythm section.

And Wolfman — released as a double A side with Right On — is proof positive that the rebooted Reef are more than comfortable running with the blues rock pack.