SOMERSET SURFER

Rip It Up, Issue 242, 1 October 1997, Page 11

SOMERSET SURFER

While Brit pop was ruling the English music magazines, and dance culture was ruling the clubs, Reef brought their own sound to London from the West Country. The lads from Somerset soon developed a party animal reputation, while their debut album Replenish was largely scorned by the UK press in part because it was the antithesis of the Brit pop formula. I'm talking to singer Gary Stringer, an affable chap with his new sober Image. . “How ya doing mate?” , He’s sober but can’t recall how many times Reef have been to Australia or beach names. “I think it’s three times. I can’t remember to be honest. Maybe it’s twice. Apart from England, I like Australia out of all the countries I’ve been to in the world.” Gary surfs everywhere they tour, even Malibu. What’s that really cheesy beach?” Bondi? “Yeah and Bells Beach and...” Auckland is near great surf beaches. “That’s cool. I’m bringing my wetsuit over. I’m just bringing a shortie. I hope it will be warm enough.” Wouldn’t anywhere be warmer than England? “Everybody says ‘English weather is shit’, but we’re from the West Country and down in Cornwall, where I learnt to surf, it’s on the same latitude as the South of France, so it’s not too bad. But it’s pretty cold, compared to what you guys get in the summer.” The summer In Britain and Europe has meant Festivals for Reef. The trip to Glasgow's T In The Park was eventful “We were flying out of London, and there were a few funny noises and one of the plane engines had gone down so we had to turn back. We missed half our set because the plane had to go back. We ended up playing about four songs in the end, but it were a good four songs and every one got into it. But it was an odd day.” - How was it recording the second album Glow with American producer George Drakoullas (Black Crowes)? ~ “We started off recording the second record in the UK, and then George got a little uncomfortable working in London and he said come on back to Los Angeles with us, so we cruised on back there and set up the gear and did it there. Rooms are rooms to me. I enjoyed recording both records. They were different. The first one was four lads running into a room and bangin’ out a few tunes and the second one was maybe a bit more thoughtful. But I never want to get to the stage where I’m spending 10 years to record one song. There are things to do. I love music, it’s part of me life, but there is a lot of other things to do as well.” Were you suprised to see yourself on the cover of NME as they gave you a hard time at first

“Not suprised at all. It’s a funny old game over here, I don’t know what they’re playing at here. The UK has got a few problems with journalists — get a pen and they think they’re something really special. They put us on the front cover because we were selling records, they go on about how they support the indie cause, but at the same time they cash in on bands that do well. They wouldn’t touch us with sticks when we weren’t selling, and when we were they were interested. Plus when the NME put us on the front cover, that was the biggest selling issue of their paper in that whole year, so I dunno, who cares?”

You dont seem to mind being given a hard time Initially? “What does it matter? I’ve got a beautiful girlfriend, I’m playing in a band, going all around the world, selling a few records. Who gives a toss what some spotty oink thinks? It doesn’t matter. If they call you God and say you’re the best things that ever walked the planet with guitars around you neck, you know you’re not that! If they tell you that you’re shit, you know you’re not that. I think this old game’s a funny old one. You just plough your day, make your music and hope people get off on it. “You could spend all your life worrying about it, but at the end of the day, if you lay out all your magazine articles that mentioned Reef, as long as they cover the floor of the living room, you’re laughing aren’t ya.” The press have built up your party animal Image? “Yeah they have, and at first we would maybe fuel that a little bit ourselves, and as you just go through the game you just realise, well, this is a bit boring, every young kid does drugs and gets about and enjoys himself. That ain’t nothing new is it?” The young Gary Stringer got to go to more raves In fields than rock concerts. And he played some weird shit before Reef. “We used to cover ‘Flashlight’ by Parliament, but the first sort of music I ever got into was people like AC/DC, I thought they were spot on. Then I got into the whole funk thing with Parliament and James Brown, but at the same time I was listening to Perry Farrell and more recently Massive Attack.” Gary likes hanging out with the Chemical Brothers. He doesn't like barriers. “I think nowadays, and I think it’s where we hit with the people we play to, it’s not mods and rockers anymore and the press try and make it into this musical boundaries thing. I’m happy to hold my hand up and say I like the Prodigy but I also like johnny Cash. What I’m trying to say is there not many barriers anymore.”

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You did well in the British music industry soccer sixes? “Yeah, that was a year ago now. They had a new one this year that we couldn’t take part in because we were doing a festival in Germany, so we weren’t there to defend our crown. We’re quite happy with a soccer ball, we’re on the same vibe as Marley, we like to kick a ball around. It’s a good way of releasing energy and communicating with people. It’s cool.” I point out that their first album Replenish with Gary's voice buried in a wall of psychedelic/funk noise was sadly overlooked. “If you got into to it that’s cool, if you like something like I do you don’t stop liking it because everybody else don’t like it. That’s the cool thing — individuals flying their flag. That’s what we have at our gigs and it’s brilliant to see. You don’t just get a crowd of people looking like clones, you get people turning up to your gigs, individuals, and that’s wicked, that’s what life’s about.” Reef could be the rock *n’ roll band, not to be missed in October. “I’m looking forward to coming to New Zealand, mate.

Cheers!”

MURRAY CAM MICK