Alan John "Reni" Wren (born 10 April 1964 in Manchester[1]) is an English rock drummer and member of The Stone Roses.

His laid-back style of complex, off-beat rhythms was influential in bringing about the blend of indie and dance music which formed much of the Madchester sound centred on Manchester.

After the band's apparent final show at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland in June 2017, he has since returned to obscurity, running a property business with his wife.

This was a rehearsal studio and required the band to carry Wren's drum kit up three flights of stairs, before running through early songs "Nowhere Fast", "All Stitched Up" and "Mission Impossible".

[10] The band's first bassist, Pete Garner, noted in a 2012 interview for Simon Spence's biography The Stone Roses - War and Peace: "I stood on the side of the stage going 'Oh fuck, he’s going to join the Who now.

"[6] Despite the band's fears, Wren turned down Townshend's offer to play on his solo albums in favour of continuing with the Stone Roses.

Due to his showmanship and natural flair, Manchester music scene regulars such as Martin Hannett noted many people were attending the band's early gigs just to see Wren play.

"[12] As the band's music progressed, marked by the release of the second single "Sally Cinnamon" in 1987, his playing style made use of a three-piece kit and the additional complement of his backing vocals on the majority of new songs.

His minimised kit consisted of "a mixture of Ludwig, vintage, and a big expensive Sonor snare drum",[13] which were all painted with John Squire's Jackson Pollock inspired art style.

His busy use of the high-hat, snare, and solitary tom-tom created a complex sound which helped to define the band's significant musical shift.

"Elephant Stone", released in 1988 as the band's third single, was viewed as an ideal opportunity to highlight Wren's talent, as Brown later said: "We wanted people to hear what he could do.

"[14] The drummer's focus on a propulsive tom-tom beat showcased his ability to create innovative drum rhythms, but was also in line with the burgeoning dance music scene of the day.

Ian and John had got it with the melodies and lyrics but they were lucky to get Reni because he took them from being a traditional, normal rock band into the stratosphere with other great groups.

[citation needed] Of his drumming style, in 2004 Rhythm Magazine commented that Wren was "funkier and more subtle than any drummer in the genre [indie] had ever been" and he was, "economical, soulful, and inventive".

[3] During the Stone Roses' live performances, Wren's energetic drumming ensured that his reputation grew rapidly and sparked regular praise from the music press, fans, and peers.

A review of the band's famous 1989 Blackpool gig stated he was a "spectacular, slipshod blur of energy", whilst the NME noted of a Parisian performance: "Drummer Reni is magnificent.

Described in John Robb's biography of The Stone Roses as "the voice of an angel",[2] listening to their debut album, and live shows such as Blackpool's Empress Ballroom (1989), Glasgow Green (1990) and Manchester's Heaton Park (2012) overtly display his vocal range.

In Simon Spence's The Stone Roses: War and Peace (2012), it was suggested arguments with Brown and frustration with Squire's increasingly insular musical direction angered the drummer.

In 1998, he formed the short-lived band The Rub, its name inspired by a soliloquy from Hamlet, with Casey Longdon (rhythm guitar), Neil Nisbet (bass) and Mick Grant (drums).

In 2005, Wren gave his first broadcast interview in 10 years to BBC GMR, along with ex-Roses bassist Mani, on the Manchester Music Show whilst attending a concert by the Coral.

[21] In June 2008, in an interview with Teletext's Planet Sound, Mani revealed that Wren had formed a new band with an unnamed member of Black Grape, but gave no other details.

In May 2009, on the 20th anniversary of the Stone Roses' eponymous debut album, Wren and the three other band members sanctioned the release of rare demos and unreleased material.

If the Roses ever reformed it would be a buzz just to see him play those drums again – dextrous, fluid and exuberant – he could hit hard like a rock drummer but also had a real swing and that infectious energy.

"[26] In a press conference on 18 October 2011, Wren, along with the other members of The Stone Roses, announced the band would be reforming for three "homecoming" gigs at Heaton Park, Manchester on 29 and 30 June and 1 July 2012.

[27] On its music blog, the paper explained: "On the face of it, the drummer is the most obviously replaceable component of a band but while fans are divided over the merits of a live Led Zeppelin without John Bonham, or Black Sabbath minus Bill Ward, the idea of a Reni-free Roses is untenable."

It added: "The man Pete Townshend once hailed as 'the most natural drummer I’ve seen since Keith Moon' has been the individual delight of the last week’s gigs.