Reef

Rock band Reef was formed in Glastonbury, England in 1993. Led by guitarist/vocalist Gary Stringer's bluesy, gravelly howl, Reef injected a slice of rollicking, good-time, rock 'n' roll into the mid-1990s Britpop scene. Originally going by the name Naked, they cut their teeth playing support slots for Paul Weller, the Rolling Stones and Soundgarden before debut album Replenish (1995) was named by Kerrang! magazine as the 10th best album of the year. The album featured the Top 30 singles “Good Feeling” and “Naked” plus their breakthrough single “Place Your Hands”, which climbed to Number 6. After the success – Number 8 – of their next single “Come Back Brighter”, Reef’s second album, Glow (1997), shot to Number 1 on the UK album charts. After rave reviews and well-received live performances, the band’s next album, Ride (1999), reached Number 3 on the charts. However, their next two releases didn’t fare as well: 2000’s Getaway reached Number 15 while the 2003 compilation Together only reached Number 52. The Britpop movement began to fizzle out and although Reef didn’t play by Britpop’s rules, they still suffered as the scene died. The group split in 2003 and the band members pursued other musical interests. In 2010, Reef reunited and spent a lot of time touring, which renewed interest in the band. After 18 years of waiting, fans were treated with Revelation (2018), the group’s first studio album since Getaway. Revelation was a Top 30 success and paved the way for their next album, Shoot Me Your Ace (2022), which reached Number 20 on the UK albums chart.