Ride

The first time I saw Ride was as a young lad, at what has now become a legendary performance, Reading Festival 1992. The wall of sound and mesmerising melodies blew me away back then and all these years later we're hoping for more of the same.

Falmouth is ready, as Mark confirms shortly after they come on stage, this is the first time they have ever played Cornwall, and we're so glad it's here at the county's best venue.

Ride's new material, of course has moved on somewhat from their all out shoegazing routes (so called because of the tendency to stare at the floor whilst looking at effects pedals, fact fans) but the boys haven't lost the ability to write a decent hook and a big sound. They demonstrate this on set openers Monaco and Last Night I went Somewhere to Dream.

The truth is though, however good the new stuff is, it's the old ones this crowd wants. When Loz bangs out the unmistakeable first few beats of Dreams Burn Down is when the crowd's anticipation is met tenfold. This song for me is what good music is all about, you can't think about anything else whilst listening to it, you go to another place and get swallowed up by layer upon layer of sound. Andy and Mark's guitars and Steve's bass complete an encompassing wall of sound that for me is the perfect Ride song. A bit of quiet, a bit of loud and a few kicks of a few effects pedals. It's played with all the enthusiasm it was when Nowhere first came out. We're only 3 songs in, but if we had a power cut now I would still go home happy.

The band look in a good place, and happy, it's good to see, and we bounce off it. Mark picks up a bass for I came To See The Wreck, so we get double bass, but not that type....Mark has a few words in-between songs and mentions that they were not planning to play the next song, but got persuaded. Sennen got it's first ever live play in Cornwall. Beautiful harmonies sweep us up in this amazing song from the legendary Today Forever EP. Back when EP's were a thing, and Ride did them best!

We get tracks from all across Ride's many albums and EPs tonight. Lannoy Point from 2017's Weather Diaries is a reminder of how strong they came back after their big sabbatical, Black Nite Crash samples the all out Rock 'n' Roll of Tarantula, and Cool Your Boots sends us back into the wonderful psychedelia of Going Blank Again.

The set is nearing an end and we get, probably the most recognisable Ride song, Vapour Trail. Nowhere's gorgeous understated final track is lapped up by this audience, before Nowhere's opener kicks in. By the time Loz's high hats and Steve's first 4 bars on the bass have finished, we've worked our way up the front in what is soon to be the mosh pit. This song is the perfect Ride song ( I may have said Dreams Burn Down was earlier, but things change, quickly ). It's frenetic, there's a barrage of drums, a bassline hook to die for and the best combination of pedals, harmonies, moshing, smiles, and pure ecstasy you will see at any gig. Perfect.

I honestly can't remember if they left the stage or not, but for an encore, we get probably the most psychedelic of tracks from Interplay, Light in a Quiet Room. It's one that builds higher and thicker and heavier. You can see the band love playing it, Mark in particular as the song crescendos.

Leave Them All Behind is immense. Thanks to a small fight breaking out to the right of us somewhere we get to hear it one and a half times with a small gap in the middle while someone got ejected. Harmonies and swirling distortion combine in equal measures in this amazing performance of an absolute classic.

They are going to play one more, there are many that we would be happy with, but lead track from their debut EP is perfect. Chelsea Girl sends the mosh pit into a frenzy and finishes with a wah-wah climax in what has been an incredible performance from this seminal band.


Setlist
Monaco
Last Night I Went Somewhere to Dream
Dreams Burn Down
Future Love
Last Frontier
I Came to See the Wreck
Sennen
Lannoy Point
Peace Sign
Black Nite Crash
Cool Your Boots
Vapour Trail
Seagull

Light in a Quiet Room
Leave Them All Behind
Chelsea Girl