Gary Stringer on Reef's brand new single, Shoot Me Your Ace

Virgin Radio

29 Oct 2021, 08:33

The Reef frontman joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about the band’s new single and their 2022 tour.

Shoot Me Your Ace received its very first play on Virgin Radio this morning, and is available now. Gary told Gaby Roslin and Ricky Wilson, who are in for Chris: “It’s a rock ‘n’ roll treat, I would suggest! We’ve been playing it three, four, five times, opening up in these festivals this summer, and it seems to be connecting with everyone real quick. So, yeah, it’s a rock ‘n’ roll song. If you like, you boogie, get your hips moving, if you wanna head-bang, this is the song for you!”

The song is produced by former Duran Duran guitarist, Andy Taylor, who now plays with Reef. The band’s forthcoming coming new studio album of the same name is due to land next year. Gary said: “I want to share it. We’ve been sat on this [since] lockdown. It’s been a long while. We did it in three days, the whole record, and now we’ve had to sit and wait so long to release it. It’s exciting to finally be playing it.” 

The adrenaline-fuelled clip music video for the song has also just landed. You can check it out here:

When Ricky asked Gary what the secret was for the band’s effervescence and cheerful demeanor, the Reef singer said: “I think water has got a lot to do with it. [We] get in the water whenever we can. We did a show down in Portsmouth, had a little dip in the sea.”

Gary added: “The thing with us at the moment, and I don’t want to sound too big-headed, but we’re on fire, musically. We’ve got a line-up that’s second to none. We’ve got Luke Bullen, come in on the drums, Andy Taylor playing guitar with Jesse Wood, big old Wookie Jack Bessant, rockin' out on the bass.” 

Speaking more about having a positive outlook, Gary said: “It’s not worth worrying about stuff, that’s what you do if you have a real job!” 

The musician also spoke about how important it is for a band to stay true to themselves. “If you start putting on a metaphorical wig, you’re going to come unstuck, aren’t you?” he said. “Someone’s gonna knock it off man, and you don’t wanna be dealing with all that faff. Imagine you’re getting ready for a show, and you’ve gotta get into a zone where you’re being someone else. That wouldn’t be too cool. I quite like me. I’m alright! I certainly like my brothers in the band. It’s just super great to be playing with them.”

The band's 2022 Shoot Me Your Ace tour starts next April the 7th in Newcastle and ends April 30th in Norwich. “It’s really exciting at the moment. It feels good, and we can’t wait. I mean, April seems like miles away, doesn’t it?” Gary said.

When Ricky asked whether the band had started preparing for the tour yet, Gary told him that he was doing “a few star jumps and press-ups”! 

Gary added: “It’s a blessing for us. We feel real happy at the moment, and it feels great to be playing some rock music.”

Shoot Me Your Ace is available on all digital music platforms now. For tickets to Reef’s Shoot Me Your Ace tour, visit reeftheband.com/live.

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.