The recently reformed shoegaze heroes arrive in Nottingham’s Rock City twenty four years after their last visit to play their seminal debut album, Nowhere, in full.
It was announced shortly before the tour that there would, in fact, be no support band and Ride would play two sets – a ‘greatest hits’ set, followed by Nowhere. It is this arrangement which causes so much consternation tonight, with the band’s first set due to start at the ungodly hour of 7.15pm. Way too early for rock n roll, yes, but a near-sold-out crowd still make their way more than happily to Rock City on time.
Perhaps it’s the early hour, or perhaps the anticipation surrounding Nowhere, but the first set seems to be lacking somewhat in energy. Set-opener ‘Leave Them All Behind’ is a killer, no doubt, but it’s only the Byrds jangle of ‘Like A Daydream’ and the lush, indie guitar-pop of ‘Twisterella’ that really inspire. Not to worry though, as we have the best debut album of 1990 to look forward to.
And boy, were we right to look forward to it! From start to finish, Ride are exhilarating, breathtaking and still totally relevant. What had been a reasonably static crowd suddenly becomes a mass of nodding heads and flailing limbs; middle-aged men celebrating the playing of their favourite song as they would a Forest goal, and it’s just all superbly life-affirming.
The opening bass rumble of ‘Seagull’ kicks in and the reaction is not dissimilar to that you’d find at a Roses gig as Mani kicks off ‘I Wanna Be Adored’. It builds to a frenetic, deafening climax as frontman Andy Bell and guitarist Mark Gardener use shoegaze’s much-vaunted pedal capabilities to maximum effect.
‘Kaleidoscope’ whizzes past in all its pop glory, while ‘In A Different Place’ is, quite frankly, beautiful. With every song being practically replicated from its recorded form, where possible, ‘In A Different Place’ is the full aural package – its needling guitar riff reaching ever higher and higher.
“From start to finish, Ride are exhilarating, breathtaking and still totally relevant”
‘Polar Bear’ is similarly euphoric. “She knew she was able to fly…” sings Bell, and no doubt half the crowd feel something similar – some reliving their youth and some witnessing something they thought they never would. ‘Decay’ breezes along at breakneck post-punk speed, while ‘Paralysed’ tones things down a notch, its long guitar landscapes allowing for a moment of semi-calm.
Then comes not only the night’s best moment but possibly one of 2015’s – Ride play ‘Vapour Trail’. It’s the perfect pop song in every aspect, from the melodic, trundling guitar riff, right through to the addictively rhythmic drumming and poetic lyrics: “You are a vapour trail in a deep blue sky”. Perfect.
‘Taste’ is another classic pop song – turns out Ride aren’t half bad at them. ‘Here And Now’ sees Bell take up harmonica duties, before letting album-closer ‘Nowhere’ finish the set with a thunderous, ear-ringing couple of minutes, not dissimilar to MBV’s ‘holocaust section’. At this point, an encore would be superfluous; such is the satisfying euphoria in the room, but nevertheless, the band return to end proceedings with another pop classic, ‘Chelsea Girl’.
This writer never thought he would get the chance to see Ride, never mind see them play Nowhere in full. He did and he’ll never forget it. This goes down as one of the best gigs of the year.
Alex Neely
Alex is currently listening to ‘Hate To See You Go’ by The Mantles
Image: Shaun Gordon
