I suppose back in 1989 was when it all started – you’d have to ask Mark “Clem” (drums) – he was a founder member of the band.

Since then, The Riffs have released a couple of albums, a handful of singles and appeared on dozens of compilation albums around the world. 

Famous for a being a fantastic live band, The Riffs have appeared all around the UK and Ireland and well as in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Spain.

The Riffs have shared the billing with Laurel Aitken, Madness, The Specials, The Skatalites, The Selecter, Neville Staple, Edwin Starr, Desmond Dekker, Bad Manners and loads of others.

When The Specials reformed in the 1990s, The Riffs were the support act for their first gig at London’s Mean Fiddler. The band have also welcomed Buster Bloodvessel, Dave Barker, Winston ‘Mr Fixit’ Francis and Paul Fox of The Ruts to the stage as special guests.

After a hiatus, the band returned in 2011 with a triumphant comeback at London’s 100 Club followed by the first new album in donkeys years in August 2013 – FUTURE. This was followed in 2020 with the WIGGLE EP and the latest release in Spring 2026, DIFFERENT TOWN, both of which are available on all major streaming services.

The band continues to bring the party to live venues across the UK and beyond, from Darlington to Dortmund and everywhere in between, and some even say they are sounding better than ever!

The Riffs are Spenny (guitar, lead vocals), Clem (drums), Stevo (keys, bvs), Jon (bass, bvs), Adam (harmonica, bvs)

Vocals, Guitar / Spenny
Drums / Clem
Keys / Stevo
Bass / Jon
Harmonica / Adam