by Last night, Reef brought their Replenish?30th Anniversary Tour to Glasgow’s intimate TV Studio at SWG3, and in a word: it rocked.
From the moment the lights dropped and the opening riff struck out, the band—fronted by the unmistakable energy of vocalist Gary?Stringer—commanded the room, and the packed crowd reciprocated. Despite the modest capacity of the venue (circa 1,000), the atmosphere had the electricity of a much larger space: every fist in the air, every chorus sung back in unison. The decision to play Glasgow on this milestone tour felt absolutely right—the city gave back as much as it got.
The set was a pleasing mix of nostalgia and vitality. With the Replenish album as the tour’s focus, the band dug into tracks that had perhaps been overshadowed in past decades, but which sounded fresh and fierce tonight. Towards the end of the set, they leaned into crowd-pleasers Classics like “Place?Your?Hands” and “Naked” and closed out with a bang.
What really stood out, though, was how present the band appeared to be. The guitar tone was chunky and confident (shout out to bassist Jack?Bessant whose lines consistently anchored the sound), drummer Luke?Bullen kept the grooves tight, and Stringer’s voice—rough-edged but clear—carried every lyric with conviction. They weren’t simply trotting through old hits; you felt they still believed in them. The staging, though modest, made it a communal moment rather than a spectacle: we were there with the band, not just observing.
On a personal note: The sound in the TV Studio isn’t always perfect and I did notice at points the bass overpowered the mids when further back and if you weren’t standing close to the front you might have felt a little boxed in and the view somewhat restricted by the venue layout. But neither of these dampened the overall impact.
But for the most part, the mix held up, and the venue’s size actually helped: you could feel the vibrations, the thrum of live rock quite viscerally. Also noteworthy: the crowd was respectful yet raucous—I saw plenty of movement, dancing, smiles. It felt celebratory.
Highlights:
The moment when the opening riff of “Place?Your?Hands” dropped and the crowd erupted — goose-bumps.
A mid-set quieter moment when they pulled back and let the audience fill the space. It created contrast, made the louder parts hit harder.
The encore felt earned and left people buzzing as they spilled out into the Glasgow night.
In conclusion: Reef last night showed why they’ve endured. They can still ignite a room, whip up genuine engagement, and deliver rock with heart and presence. Glasgow turned out in force, the band answered in kind. If you were there, you left feeling part of something. If you weren’t, you missed a good one.
Would I recommend catching the rest of the tour? Absolutely — especially if you’re up for a night of rock that reminds you why you loved live music in the first place.
