The Cognition perform under-arm bowling

	Review by Bibsy

Reef / The Cognition - The Astoria, March 21, 2003

SOMETIMES knowing little about a band can be a good thing. The absence of any preconceptions means you approach with an open mind.

Well, I feel I approached The Cognition's set (supporting Reef) at the Astoria on Friday with this beautifully idealistic principle nicely intact. Unfortunately an hour of music that could induce even the most obstinate insomniac into a deep coma meant that I left feeling somewhat less open minded about The Cognition. Oh well.

Don't get me wrong, they weren't particularly offensive, it was durable stuff, but unfortunately it was about as exciting as under-arm bowling. Tune after tune that sounded much the same as the last one and the one before it and undoubtedly the next one. Wait for it… yep, there it is, the same song again. I think I'll go to the bar.

Ooh, where shall I go on holiday this year? Hmm, she's cute. What's the time? When are Reef on? Visit The Cognition.

Reef, on the other hand, were very good. Their performance had all the energy and the stage presence sadly lacking from The Cognition's set.

Despite the rigid four-piece set-up throughout, the band's sound never got jaded. In particular lead singer Gary Stringer paced and pranced about the stage (and occasionally in the audience) as if he owned it, and appeared to be enjoying every minute of it.

The band played a tight, cohesive set - stuff off their new album Together, released in January, sat nicely along with some of the old classics such as 'Place Your Hands', which really got the crowd jumping. It was clearly their best known tune and Gary Stringer almost apologetically introduced it "…well, we still like it", before Kenwyn House strummed that infamous opening guitar rift.

A product of the Britpop days of the mid-90s, Reef were clearly still full of that charisma and vigour that got them noticed in the first place, and clearly still well capable of carrying it off.

It started me thinking why had they disappeared from our collective consciousnesses for so long whereas others from that era had somehow clung on, well past their sell-by date.

Tight, insistent and very loud, this is how live rock should sound... and unlike some acts I could mention, never once did my thoughts drift to which beach I'll spend a couple of weeks on in June.

RELATED LINKS: Click here for The Cognition's website...
Click here for Reef's website...
Click here to order Reef's latest album, Together...