RIDE Live 2015 + October’s best album & single
Ride live in concert is an experience that all indie / dream rock fans should experience if possible. This tour was a 25th anniversary of their Nowhere album I believe. Honestly, I am happy for that but was laser focused on seeing them for any occasion.
It’s hard to believe it has been five years since I saw Ride live. This was a few weeks before they release “Weather Diaries“.
In my youth I missed them every time they play my tri state area. I know they came through with the Pale Saints (I doubt it was Utah Saints) for the Going Blank Again tour. Since I was just discovering them, I’ll have to forgive myself for missing that show and others if they happened.
Thankfully fate smiled on me and I saw them in Phoenix. Those guys exceeded my expectations. They sounded just like they do recorded but with all the energy of a live band.
It was one of the best shows I have seen. I’ll say top 10 (excluding a large fest like lineup)
Additionally as a bonus, locals, No Volcano opened that show. I am not a big fan of many AZ bands but No Volcano are an exception. I dig the melodies, the snappy and bassy percussion, and songwriting. They sound poppy and have a little twangy surf style going on as well. They are not like Ride much at all but I thought they were a good complimentary opener. Listen to them here. https://novolcano.bandcamp.com/
After waiting years to see them, Ride took the stage and immediately the opening tones to “Leave Them All Behind” started playing. Coincidentally this was the first song and album of Ride I had heard because I discovered them later. Going Blank Again was the most recent record they had out at that time. It was a perfect moment in time watching these guys climb on stage.
By the time they were all geared up there was still a few seconds before Loz hits the first beats of “Leave Them All Behind”. When he did it was one of those things that hit me so hard and it need not be by a band in corpse paint with chainmail.
Like the album, the next song flowed right into “Twisterella” and again, they sounded as tight as the album but with all the spontaneity that only a live band could bring. Thirdly they played “Chrome Waves”, skipping the third track off Going Blank Again. This mattered not, to me at least. I don’t know where the synth sounds were coming from. Again this didn’t really matter if it’s a trigger pad on Loz’s kit, or something else. Yours truly was transfixed by the the guitars that they had. Some of these could be from the original days, and some could have been newer. Seeing Andy Bell with a Gibson 335 though is a treat.
Also the Rickenbacker 330 (?) model that the Byrds and many others used. Time has washed my memory though, I can’t remember the exact Rickenbacker model number and if Ride played 6 or 12 string electric versions , but again , these are small details that only gear nerds care for, like me.
Next Ride played “Seagull” and “Kaleidoscope” from the seminal Nowhere album. The rhythmic intro to “Seagull” is unmistakable. The bands vocals harmonizing were on point and had I seen them back in the day, I’m sure it would have taken me back to that time. “Kaleidoscope” offers the same quality of playing with as many drum fills. These two tracks are perfect companions to each other.
Once again Ride hammered home another great live version of “Dreams Burn Down”. A slower jam but full of lush melody.
“Time Machine”, what more can I say? The warm fuzzed out bass and choppy effected guitar runs bubbled up into the set. Perhaps the heaviest most distortion heavy track, “Black Nite Crash” hit like a wall of treble heaviness . Although they have been known to get slack for this album (Tarantula), there was no fault I could find in this one. After that, “Cool Your Boots” and one of my favorite Ride songs “OX4”. The simplicity of the song construction mixed with the choice of dreary and dreamy six string washes really seals the deal for me. Just breathtaking. “Time of Her Time” ‘s buzzing intro with Loz and company filled out the set even more. Until, one of the most shimmering and ethereal songs plays.
“Vapor Trail” is one of Ride’s signature songs and rightfully so. Only a person who is trying to be contradictory might badmouth this track. It was all I imagined it to be, seeing and hearing.
It soared and cast a faint trail that drifted off into the higher atmosphere. By now you are probably tired of hearing me heap praise onto Ride. So we’ll skip “Taste” (which is a great song) and say that they travel back to the first self titled, out of print, E. P. “Drive Blind” ‘s bass thumps could find its place in a sludge / doom genre but it is cleverly paired with a picked guitar melody that echoes something Robert Smith of the Cure may write in the heyday. Vocal hook still holds up after 25 plus years.
Finally, for encore “Mouse Trap” plays. This song showcases the multi facets of the gem that is Ride. It’s heavy on bass, drums, harmony, and melody.
Featuring stops and starts, quiet to very LOUD moments. In closing we get “Chelsea Girl”. This song will make any early fan of Ride proud. It mirrors the indie sound of the time. I hear Creation era bands influence. A touch of the c86 and Sarah records label in it. There is enough wah and distortion to keep it out of pure straight forward jangle pop territory. A feral indie pop animal of a tune.
Experiencing this song and entire set is something I treasure and will not soon forget. Let’s hope we can see them take the stage in a normal venue setting soon. Much love, gratitude to Ride and the fans.
Consequently , Andy Bell of Ride released his solo record October 2020 and it is my pick for album of October. Read the review here https://meatsheetfanzine.com/andy-bell-the-view-from-halfway-down-sonic-cathedral/ This is a very tough choice due to the following releases.
Also released is Mary Lattimore’s Silver Ladders, Luxembourg Signal – The Long Now, and technically October 30th, Nothing’s The Great Dismal.
All of these I hold in high regard. Andy Bell’s The View From Halfway Down is a prize. Additionally, The View From Halfway Down brought some glimmers of joy and hope to the pandemic ridden uneasy times. Thanks for you reading about Ride, live in concert and my October pick of the month. Although I am out of the loop, not an easy choice with the contenders I did listen to. Until then look out for one another and enjoy the music that is coming out if you can.