FEBRUARY 19, 2015. Mark Gardener and Andy Bell are performing as Ride for the first time in 20 years. This auspicious event is taking place at the 100 Club, as part of the annual War Child events. Coincidentally, it is also 25 years since the band released their debut EP. Tonight’s acoustic show flows easily through the band’s key songs – along with a couple of rarities – and the camaraderie between the two men is evident. Via email, Gardener later explains that they rehearsed for “a day in Oxford, then a couple of days in London. We were nervous… I pretended it was just another solo acoustic show to keep my anxiety levels down, then made the mistake of looking at social media on the way to London in the bus! It was anything but just another solo acoustic show!”
Evidently, it is a far smaller affair than their first official show, in front of 70,000 at Coachella in April. “I think the records have clearly stood the test of time,” notes Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell, whose successful 2014 reunion has proved the enduring qualities of her band’s music. “Music always goes in cycles, doesn’t it? Now is the time of that period of music.”
“For now, we’re just making sure these shows are amazing,” says Mark Gardener. “We have to deliver. Beyond that..? I think some great things will come out of this, because I know how good the feeling is. It’s lovely to have a second run like this.”
“I don’t want to spook the horse, I’d like to see where it goes after the gigs,” adds Andy Bell.
“With Ride, there were a lot of people who wanted to see us play together again,” says Loz Colbert. “It feels like maybe we didn’t get to fulfill some aspects of some things that we like to do. I hope we get a chance to do that. I’d be disappointed if that was all we did.”