RIDE – British Shoegaze Legends Overwhelmed FRANCE With A Psychedelic Hurricane
26 April 2025
British shoegaze legends RIDE were one of the greatest and most popular bands
of the genre between 1988-1996, scoring 4 successful albums. Afterward, each
member pursued his own musical path.
But in 2014 they got back together for a new chapter, with (so far) 3 full lengths, of
which last year’s Interplay is not only their most recent one, but also a pop masterpiece according to TUTV‘s aural verdict. I still have the album on my earphones, on a regular basis.
All songs are sublimely orchestrated and bathe in a psychedelic jacuzzi,
while vocalist Mark Gardner‘s velvet vocals match the radiant atmosphere
exquisitely.
Mark Gardner
So, I was totally blissed-out, hearing 6 (Monaco, Last Night, Peace Sign, Last Frontier, I Came To See The Wreck, and the brilliant Light In A Quiet Room) out of the 12 LP’s gems getting the Ride live treatment last Wednesday in Lille, France.
The 4-piece build an awesome wall-of-psychedelic-guitar hysteria throughout the concert. Yet, vocalists Mark Gardener and Andy Bell managed somehow to get them heard, despite the titanic hurricane, fueled with long, gobsmacking outros.
All burners and all cylinders on, decibels up, amps up, temperature up, ecstasy up.
Andy Bell
Obviously, golden oldies such as Leave Them All Behind, Seagull, Twisterella, Black Nite Crash and Future Love were greeted with euphoric delight. No, not one dull moment. One small remark. Now and then, the sound volume was that high that you couldn’t hear yourself think.
It was a wild ride, one to remember for a long time.
INTERPLAY
.
SETLIST
1. Monaco
2. Last Night I Went Somewhere to Dream
3. Dreams Burn Down
4. Future Love
5. Last Frontier
6. I Came to See the Wreck
7. Unfamiliar
8. Lannoy Point
9. Peace Sign
10. Black Nite Crash
11. Cool Your Boots
12. Sennen
13. Vapour Trail
14. Seagull
Encores:
15. Light in a Quiet Room
16. Leave Them All Behind
17. Chelsea Girl
Live photos by Turn Up The Volume