RIDE + JUNODREAM – CHALK, BRIGHTON 18.9.24
Formed at art college in Oxfordshire in 1988, Ride came to public attention at the beginning of 1990, having signed to Alan McGee’s Creation Records. Their eponymously titled EP was the first release on that label to make the UK charts, and debut album ‘Nowhere’, released in October that year, was a critical and commercial success, peaking at No.11. Their atmospheric sound, blending elements of indie guitar, noise rock, and psych, tended to be labelled by the press as part of the “shoegazing” scene. Two further albums made the UK Top 5, but a change of musical direction to a more classic rock sound for ‘Tarantula’ was less well received, and the band split before its release in 1996, with members pursuing other projects. Guitarist Andy Bell was most notably recruited to play bass for Oasis, and he’ll be part of the lineup for that band’s reunion tour in 2025.
After a long hiatus, Ride reconvened in 2014, initially to play live dates, but then began writing and recording new music. The ‘Weather Diaries’ album in 2017 was a stunning return to the dreamy and ethereal atmospherics of their earlier sound, and was followed in 2019 by ‘This Is Not A Safe Place’. The current collection, ‘Interplay’ was released on 29th March 2024, and the band has been touring extensively around the world to promote it. Tonight’s sold-out show at Brighton’s Chalk is the 13th date of the UK and Ireland leg.
Having been treated to an excellent set from junodream, which is described below, we’re ready for the headline act, and there’s a considerable buzz of anticipation amongst the knot of devoted fans at the front of the packed room.
Heralded by an intro recording of ambient electronics, Ride take the stage shortly after 8:15pm to a rousing cheer, and open with the jangling riff of ‘Monaco’, from the latest album. Vocals, as ever, are shared between guitarists Mark Gardener and Andy Bell. Andy is house left, initially on a red Gibson Trini Lopez semi acoustic. Mark, centre stage, favours a Gretsch. Steve Queralt, house right, plays a Musicman bass, and Loz Colbert’s kit is up on a riser, the front head of the kick drum decorated with the abstract design from the ‘Interplay’ album sleeve.
The new material maintains the expansive indie sound we’ve come to expect from Ride. Andy switches to a Rickenbacker 12-string for ‘Last Night I Went Somewhere To Dream’, which features an effective dual vocal harmony, and echoing drum fills. The familiar chiming opening of the more languid ‘Dreams Burn Down’ takes us back to the 1990 debut, and I find myself swaying gently in a happy reverie.
I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the band are not particularly animated performers, with the front row players often standing still. When not singing, their eyes do tend to focus downwards towards their extensive arrays of effects pedals, the origin of the initially derogatory press tag, although with the passing of time, “shoegaze” has become an entirely positive label as a sub-genre of indie rock. Without any overt stage theatrics to pick out, the lighting is devoted to enhancing the overall vibe of the music. It is mostly behind the band, silhouetting the players. An array of LED uplighters provides washes of colour, whilst fixtures on the back wall radiate beams towards the audience.
Mark switches to bass for a couple of numbers from ‘Interplay’, combining with Steve to provide a particularly satisfying twin bass chug. ‘Last Frontier’, moves at a steady pace, propelled by thumping drums. For ‘I Came To See The Wreck’, Steve puts down an insistent echoing riff and Mark’s lead vocal is embellished with delicate harmonies and higher register jangle from Andy. It’s a cracking piece that builds gradually towards a powerful conclusion, and is well received by the crowd.
‘Unfamiliar’ is anything but, its noise intro and utterly dreamy vocal transporting me straight back to 1990. For a moment I’m lying on my old living room floor, blissed out and listening to the ‘Nowhere’ album on repeat. Washes of synth and gently bubbling electronics, presumably on a midi backing track, introduce the magically atmospheric ‘Lannoy Point’ from ‘Weather Diaries’. Andy provides the signature riff and harmonies to back Mark’s superb vocal, which floats delicately over an upbeat and steadily insistent groove from the rhythm section.
We’re back to the new record with ‘Peace Sign’, accompanied by appropriate hand gestures. Loz lays down a thumping beat, and there’s more smoothly sustained synth to colour the mellifluous dual vocal. Steve is high up the neck, pushing some punchy bass octaves, and a naggingly catchy guitar riff ensures this number is now firmly lodged in my brain. ‘Black Nite Crash’ is from the more rock oriented ‘Tarantula’ album. Descending torrents of chunky crunching chords are rendered more dramatic by bursts of white strobe.
Andy is taking more of the lead vocals as the set goes on, and Mark, less constrained by his microphone, is starting to move around a bit and rock out. ‘Cool Your Boots’, from 1992’s ‘Going Blank Again’, has a lovely descending progression of juddering tremolo guitar, and massive swooshes of phase that sweep over the playout. I loved ‘Vapour Trail’ back in the day, and all these years later it still sounds wonderful, its languid vocal and guitar jangle drifting across a shuffle beat. I’m clearly not alone in my appreciation, as the crowd spontaneously strikes up a mass “la la” chant of the melody from the closing riff at the end. It’s a touching demonstration of the huge affection this band is held in. For most acts, that would be a great end to the set, but Ride still have ‘Seagull’ in the locker. Bouncing bass and busy drums propel a majestic psych freakout, enhanced by swirling projections: six minutes of utter bliss.
The crowd’s response makes encores inevitable, and the band returns to play three more songs. ‘Light In A Quiet Room’ is a slow, trippy piece from the recent ‘Interplay’ album that builds inexorably to a big psych out. Juddering electronics and thumping drums announce ‘Leave Them All Behind’, the band’s most successful single, which reached No.9 in the UK charts in 1992. To round off a fabulously entertaining evening, we go right back to the beginning with ‘Chelsea Girl’, a piece of urgent indie rock from the debut EP.
For a band whose initial success was 34 years ago, Ride are on top form and sound better than ever. If you’re not yet familiar, their more recent albums since reforming will definitely repay further investigation.
Ride:
Mark Gardener – vocals, guitar
Andy Bell – vocals, guitar
Steve Queralt – bass
Loz Colbert – drums
Ride setlist:
‘Monaco’ (from ‘Interplay’ album, 2024)
‘Last Night I Went Somewhere To Dream’ (from ‘Interplay’ album, 2024)
‘Dreams Burn Down’ (from ‘Nowhere’ album, 1990)
‘Future Love’ (from ‘This Is Not A Safe Place’ album, 2019)
‘Last Frontier’ (from ‘Interplay’ album, 2024)
‘I Came To See The Wreck’ (from ‘Interplay’ album, 2024)
‘Unfamiliar’ (from ‘Nowhere’ album, 1990)
‘Lannoy Point’ (from ‘Weather Diaries’ album, 2017)
‘Peace Sign’ (from ‘Interplay’ album, 2024)
‘Black Nite Crash’ (from ‘Tarantula’ album, 1996)
‘Cool Your Boots’ (from ‘Going Blank Again’ album, 1992)
‘Vapour Trail’ (from ‘Nowhere’ album, 1990)
‘Seagull’ (from ‘Nowhere’ album, 1990)
(encore)
‘Light In A Quiet Room’ (from ‘Interplay’ album, 2024)
‘Leave Them All Behind’ (from ‘Going Blank Again’ album, 1992)
‘Chelsea Girl’ (from ‘Ride’ EP, 1990)
Support tonight is provided by junodream (styled in lower case), a five-piece formed in 2018. Their debut album ‘Pools Of Colour’ was released last January. It is immediately apparent why they have been selected as Ride’s tour support, and I like them straight away. ‘The Beach’ opens with haunting slide from guitarist Tom, who is house left. Lead vocalist Ed is centre stage, sporting dark shades, his strummed acoustic soon joined by a gently meandering shuffle from drummer Jake. Bassist Will adds some solid low end groove, with second guitarist Dougal contributing chiming high notes. The chorus really soars, with an absolutely delightful melody to the lyrical hook of “Head out…head out…I wish I could take to the beach”. Jake gets busy with some massive rolls around the kit, and the twin guitars head for the stratosphere. This is quality stuff.
Ed’s acoustic is off, freeing him to deliver an impassioned vocal on ‘Kitchen Sink Drama’, another magnificent piece that moves beautifully over sweeping chords and an interesting pattern of bass notes. Sampled whistling opens ‘Death Drive’, with Ed rattling a shaker to enhance the lolloping baggy shuffle. The vibe of the piece reminds me of The Stone Roses. ‘Travel Guide’ opens with a smoothly delivered vocal over a skittering rhythm of rim shots. Ethereal sweeps of slide guitar, and a gentle build of gradually busier drums transport us effortlessly to our destination. A number introduced as new and unreleased features a heavily processed backing vocal from Dougal that has a choral quality. The drums and bass get really busy as the song progresses, with Ed’s powerful sustain well drenched in reverb. Final number ‘Nobody Wants You’ has a nicely ascending progression of jangling arpeggios and another killer hook.
From my point of view, junodream are an undiscovered gem of a band. With songs and playing of this quality, I suspect it won’t be long before they are headlining tours in their own right.
junodream:
Ed Vyyan – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Tom Rea – guitar, vocals, keyboards
Dougal Gray – guitar, vocals
Will Ryder – bass
Jake Gidley – drums
junodream setlist:
‘The Beach’
‘Kitchen Sink Drama’
‘Death Drive’
‘Travel Guide’
‘White Whales’
‘Nobody Wants You’
