Bidgie Reef and The Gas

BIDGIE REEF AND THE GAS

Bidgie Reef and The Gas were a two piece musical union between Roger Winslet and Pete Brookes.

Formed originally in 1998 from a love of similar words, music, movies, and alcohol, they began with a song for consideration for Guy Ritchie's Snatch movie.

After 25 different band members, hundreds of gigs and tours with artists as diverse as Julian Cope, Art Brut, Acoustic Ladyland, a Guardian album of the year in 2005, and many different songs ... they disbanded.

But what have Bidgie been up to since, could there be a return?

Bidgie Reef and the Gas - Pinstripes and Promises

Bidgie Reef & The Gas - Pinstripes & Promises.

OUT NOW

Bidgie Reef & The Gas Pinstripes & Promises - 2021 re-release

Originally released in 2006 on the XXiV label, Bidgie Reef & The Gas’ Pinstripes & Promises album turned ears and started tongues wagging all the way from the broadsheets to the tabloids, and well respected journalists from John L Walters to Pat Gilbert came to see what all the fuss was about.

15 years later, after most of the 26 surviving members of the band (there was 28 but two died) had got fed up of people asking where the long since out of print album was available…. Musical Bear Records agreed to put the album out digitally, to appease the long lost fans and the newly curious…

Bidgie Reef & The Gas then. What is it?

‘Like Dexys and the Pistols mashed up with Dury and even more than that’ said Pat Gilbert, Clash biographer, musical literary hack and Mojo scribe

‘cinematic… widescreen… epic… truly interesting and I cant stop playing it… a real touch of class’ - Tom Robinson 6Music

‘Like Bond themes on LSD’ said the BBC’s then Introducing team.

‘'bidding for rock immortality... stadium ready, post punk power pop... they confound our expectations as to what an indie band should be... distinct...sinister electro-funk... music theatre...anthemic ballads... they amuse and entertain... they have taken the base metal of pop’s past - psychedlia, pomp-rock, electro, dance-pop - and turned it into tarnished gold' said John L Walters at The Guardian, who also listed the album as one of the best of that year and was a recommended Christmas present.

‘Bidgie Reef & the Gas - a unique phenomenon in that they fly in the face of alternative fashion. Winslet’s after-dinner anecdotes are twisted, funny and moving paeans to a world gone mad around him - sheer class’ - a quote from a magazine none of the band can remember the name of

But what of the band itself?

We could talk about the gig where Rog jumped up on stage to hijack Pete’s old band, kick-starting Bidgie. We could talk about the first gig making headline news in the dailies. We could talk about their influences.

We could talk about the Guy Ritchie thing.

We could talk about their East End compering for upcoming cool urchin indie rabble rousers; and punk girls from the USA who tried to wrestle them to the floor;

We could talk about sharing the stage with Adele at one of her gigs;

We could talk about the energetic shows with Art Brut and the other New Cross Rocklands era bands;

We could talk about squashing the hair of David Devant & His Spirit Wife to get up onto the stage;

We could talk of breaking PA’s; exploding monitors and amps;

We could talk of tabloid hounds making up stories;

We could talk of the managers and impresarios offering the band the world; and we could talk of how things got totally fucked;

We could talk of Jay Leno mentioning them on his US talk show;

We could talk of drummers that fell asleep mid gig;

We could talk of bass players taking rehearsal phone calls during school lessons;

We could talk of them playing with David Byrne, Julian Cope, Robyn Hitchcock, The Blockheads, John Otway, and talk of the sold out tour with Seb Rochford’s Acoustic Ladyland;

We could talk about the madness of the UK and Ireland tours;

We could talk about the age range of the band being from 16 representing every decade through up to 65;

We could talk of the tantrums and the fights and the fun and all the mad times.

But we won’t.

Let’s just listen to the album first.

And remember those times…

If only you were lucky enough to be there….

ENDS

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