REEF are hoping make waves when they visit East Lancashire next week.

Speaking exclusively to Pulse, guitarist Kenwyn House explained why the band had chosen to play in Burnley -- just weeks before the release of their greatest hits album.

It's nearly two years since Reef dipped out of the spotlight but as the Red Hot Chili Peppers enjoy new success, it's good to have a great British rock band back amongst us.

Having enjoyed their extended break from the scene, the foursome are returning with fresh enthusiasm.

And it's that renewed energy that has inspired the band to play just a handful of small shows away from the glare of the usual city venues.

Kenwyn said: "Some of the best shows I've seen have been when big bands play in small clubs. It creates a special atmosphere and that's what we're trying to do here. We want to create that big band in a small club vibe.

"We've been pretty lazy over the last couple of years so these dates will give us a chance to get our hand back in shape before the full tour really starts. Some of the places we're going I'd never even heard of before."

The band formed almost a decade ago while Kenwyn, singer Gary Stringer, bassist Jack Bessant and drummer Dominic Greensmith were still at music college in London.

Originally called Naked, their initial rise to fame came after they appeared on a TV advert for a portable Sony Mini Disc player.

Once they'd changed their name, the quartet took up a long-term record deal with Sony.

With much of the inspiration for their early work coming from American rockers Pearl Jam, it wasn't until their second album, Glow, that they really made a mark on the scene.

Putting Gary Stringer's gravelly and often shouted vocals against a backdrop of gospel-tinged power chords, the group enjoyed a string of hit singles from the album. Maverick DJ Chris Evans joined their long line of fans when he used the band to introduce the "It's Your Letters" section of his weekly TFI Friday Show.

But it's not all been plain sailing. Despite two more solid albums, they've have found it difficult to capitalise on the success of Glow.

Talking about the band's break, Kenwyn said: "We've needed that time away after nearly nine years of making music together. Last summer we had some falling out within the group but it gave us a chance to take stock and reassess what we wanted."

And getting back together this spring was like a fresh start for the group.

"You can't have a reunion without splitting up," he said

"We wrote eight or nine new songs, which I think are the best tracks we've done since our first album, and recorded seven in LA with George Drakoulias."

Adding five of the new songs to the greatest hits album means that a least fans will get a value-for-money package.

Kenwyn said: "The label were going to do the greatest hits anyway and we wanted to make sure we had some input into it. This way the fans are getting a studio EP-worth of tracks as well."

Reef play at Burnley Mechanics on Tuesday night with tickets priced £10. Box office 01282 664400

CLIVE LAWRENCE talks to Reef guitarist Kenwyn House about the band's small town gig experiment

THINK SMALL: Reef are hoping to create a special atmosphere in Burnley. Left, guitarist Kenwyn House