A COLD November evening seemed like a strange time to be watching Reef.
Conjuring up summer festivals, barbecues and general warmth, their back catalogue didn't really seem to fit with a damp autumn night in Cardiff.
However, the mood inside the Tramshed certainly warmed things up a bit.
Pairing rock 'n’ roll swagger with a chilled surfy attitude, Reef launched straight into their set, which was filled with enough crowd-pleasing hits that it could easily have gone on much longer into the night. Tracks from new-release, Revelation, were well received, although one song did briefly seem to be taking the set dangerously close to Christian rock.
However, on the whole, it was well-known anthems, such as Place Your Hands, Naked, and Stone For Your Love, that really got the audience going.
Singer, Gary Stringer, somehow still has functioning vocal cords, after making a career out of pushing them to the limit night after night with his guttural singing style. His range verges on soul and the film adaptation of Roddy Doyle’s The Commitments sprung to mind at times.
By the time Come Back Brighter was in full swing as an encore his throat must have been on fire, but - as he launched straight into a cover of The Faces’ Stay With Me - it was clear he was not done yet.
Reef still sound as fresh as their studio recordings and put on a great live show.
However, the middle-aged guy with a faux-hawk stood directly in front of me seemed intent on watching most of it through his phone. Each to their own, I suppose.
By Dan Barnes
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