46INDIE//ROCK//ALTERNATIVE


THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | OCTOBER 2010 OF THE MONTH ALBUM


MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (MCR)


THE BOYS ARE BACK IN


TOWN - REEF RETURN British rock legends Reef hit the road again after a seven year break from the stage.


Jo Rogers


I caught up with bassist Jack Bessant during the lead-up to Reef’s eagerly anticipated London comeback gig this December at the Kentish Town Forum, to see how things have changed for the band over the years and what it’s been like finally getting back on tour with the guys.


“We’ve had some really good reactions to the reunion,” Jack Bessant stated, when asked about the general feedback from fans since the 2010 comeback. “In particular the Bristol and London gigs – obviously when you’re onstage you can’t really see much as it’s dark but I remember when the house lights went on in Bristol and I could see people really getting into it, and the same with London, watching people really rockin’ out. It was great to be back.”


Having previously toured with the likes of Paul Weller, Sound Garden and even The Roll- ing Stones, and with smash hits under their belt such as “Place Your Hands” and “Naked”, Reef have had quite a run, but since 2003 certain


members have been explor- ing new directions musically. Jack Bessant explained to me about his latest slightly unusu- al musical project with Reef singer Gary Stringer, called “StringerBessant”. The two have been touring together with their new acoustic album “Yard”. It seems the guys have delved into a new altogether softer scene since the break with Reef in 2003… “It’s that thing with art or mu- sic, where you hear a sound or you see a picture and you just want to try and complete it, you know? And I think per- sonally I’d just heard a sound and wanted to put something new out there, so I spoke with Gary, and we just found we had a really good time doing it. We’ve been working on it a while and it all just came together this year when we recorded it. Happy days,” Jack told me.


However, don’t go thinking that Bessant and Stringer have gone completely soft – the guys have been more than happy to be back blasting out the mean riffs and edgy sounds nice and loud this


year. Jack cheerily began to reminisce about good times on tour back in the good old days with Reef…


“We went on tour with Paul Weller once, that was really fun. We’d been playing places in London like the Kings Head and then suddenly we were playing three nights at Albert Hall, rockin’ in the van and supporting Paul Weller, it was absolutely awesome! It’s been really enjoyable touring like before, playing bass in front of loads of people again, and everyone in the band’s been playing really well.”


Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing and glamour on tour – as with any band, things are always bound to go wrong now and then – it comes with the territory, and Reef have been no exception, as Jack explained to me, chuckling. “Nothing’s ever gone too disastrously wrong at a gig, but sometimes things will go a bit wrong, like someone will trip over or something, but then that’s all just part of the gig. Although, we had to do a Radio 1 Road Show once and we thought our manager


would be bringing the guitars for the gig, but then he didn’t, and we were stuck with no in- struments in Cornwall! We had to run to a nearby guitar shop while Gary bought us some time on stage with a random crowd sing-along. But then we ended up smashing up the guitars we’d just bought!”


Typical rock stars… Fingers crossed the guys don’t forget their guitars this time round!


Having started out in 1993, almost unheard of, under the original band name “Na- ked”, with their rare demo “Purple Tape”, it is safe to say that West Country boys Gary Stringer, Jack Bessant, Kenwyn House and Dominic Greensmith have come a long way to form the Reef that now steps back onto our London stages in their triumphant joint return to the world of music.


Two Door Cinema Club


XFM Winter Wonderland Major indie festival returns to London.


Reef will play a one off gig at Lusty Glaze beach in Cornwall on Sun 29th May 2011 - make sure you get your tickets!


Now seven years old, XFM Winter Wonderland returns to Brixton Academy on the 15th of December to bring some desperately needed heat to the capital. Already rocking out Manchester a week earlier, XFM bring a small selections of bands to do the same in London. The temperature might be down, but our spirits are far from that though with tickets for the event selling out in a few hours. Performing at this years event are The Drums, Two Door Cinema Club, White Lies, Manic Street Preachers and a mysterious special guest who will be announced only a few seconds before he/she enters the stage. If the past nights have anything to go by, the lucky few who got tickets will be treated to the best new alternative and indie music in the space of four hours. Past performers include Razorlight, Kasabian, Stereophonics and the Kaiser Chiefs. I sure you’ll agree, they have a lot to live up to.


After 4 years in the making, My Chemical Romance (MCR) return with their fourth record Danger Days. The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys comes after MCR’s last outing with The Black Parade, and we have to say, most bands would release an average album or create a list of songs that wouldn’t com- pare with a record as great as the dark classic, but the emo supremos have found the right formula with this one that’s for sure. Completely different from their usual subject matter, Gerard and co. show their diversity by writing the majority of their passionate songs on life rather than death. Tracks such as ‘Na Na NA NA’ (great song title by the way) and ‘Sing’ will get your feet tapping and your head nodding. The alternative rock heroes will be going on a UK arena tour in the new year, kicking off at the Wembley Arena on February 12th.

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52