1,167 RIDE, The Soft Cavalry, Southampton Engine Rooms, Sunday 8th December 2019

You’d think that after such a mental rock weekend-punctuated November, I’d be looking to soften the toll on my 50-something bones and quietly ease out of this gigging year, right? Wrong! Tonight marked the first of 4 gigs in 7 days, all out-of-towners, and a swift return to a problematic venue in Southampton’s oddly-shaped, poor-egress affected Engine Rooms, to see Oxford shoegaze veterans Ride. Over 4 years on now from their surprise reunion (and a shade short of thirty years since that buzzsaw debut “Ride” EP assaulted our eardrums!), they’re pretty much a normal working band now, announcing this tour in support of new album “This Is Not A Safe Place”, the second since their reformation. Another balance of the shimmering guitar effects of the early Ride, the more straight-forward Britpop of their later first-time-around material, and a few odd diversions along the way, it’s an interesting if not overly gripping listen, but I’m always happy to book tix for a “live” Ride experience, in the knowledge that the old stuff will still sound great, and hopefully the new material will make more sense “live”, right?

Thankfully infrequent gig buddy Rich May (infrequent only because he’s on permanent nights!)  feels the same, so we booked tix separately and travelled down a sodden M4/A34 together, parking up and joining the queue for entry about 7.30. A little sparse early doors for openers The Soft Cavalry, taking the stage dead on 8. A side-project of Rachel and hubby Steve Clarke from shoegaze/slowcore veterans Slowdive, a band who I've recently warmed to after their making little to no impression on me first time around, they impressed from the off with opener "Bulletproof", a hazy summery vibe with a dark undercurrent and shades of understated New Order-esque bass. Nice! "Has anyone heard our record?" asked Clarke (who cut an impressive figure onstage, all big beard, black fedora and imposing gestures) to a smattering of cheers; "well, that's better than usual!" Dark atmospherics, slow-burn verses building to wild, windswept choruses and discordant keyboards were the order of the day, with "Spiders" variously recalling John Foxx and beloved (of me, anyway!) early 80s post-punkers Modern Eon, a later track being underpinned with some Beach Boys textures, and others featuring enough droney choral moodiness to suggest you can take the boy/girl out of shoegaze, but...! Final number "Ever Turning Wheel" featured a mesmeric crescendo redolent of The Pale Saints' classic "Sight Of You", ending an impressive set.

Bumped into TSC's Rachel after a loo break, who signed my set-list despite my mentioning my lack of enthusiasm for Slowdive! Well, at least she didn't call me a cunt, like Ian Prowse did...! Back to our house left spot just before Ride, only to note we were suddenly surrounded by big fuckers, including one directly in front of me who was practically blocking out the sun, never mind the stage...! Ride took the stage to their discordant new CD opener, the Viet Cong-like "R.I.D.E", teasing in with a couple of breezy newies before the loose-limbed danceathon of "Leave Them All Behind", Andy Bell coaxing off-kilter psych riffs from his guitar on the spotlight and dry ice-swathed stage. Vocalist Mark Gardiner, buoyant and smiling throughout, remarked, "alright! This is fun!" and initially things were going well, the stomp and dual vocal attack of "Charm Assault" an early highlight. However, the set drifted for me thereafter, a proliferation of new material played well enough but not really adding the extra power I was hoping for "live", a few mid-song thrashy guitar crescendos notwithstanding. It really took until a tremendous and undulating "Lannoy Point", 50 minutes in, for Ride to really soar to their fullest, the subsequent "OX4" hypnotic, and "Taste" the skyscraping and magnificent best number tonight. A brash, urgent "Killswitch" was the best new number on show before the feedback fest of "Drive Blind" saw Mark throw shapes and conduct proceedings through the onstage murk, and "Vapour Trail"s moody melancholy ended the set of a high, before encore "Seagull", stretched, sinuous and effect-heavy, closed proceedings.

Missed out on a list (D'oh! Still, sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you), before a problematic drive back saw us diverting off the M3, then me taking a wrong turn back on the M3 heading back towards Southampton! D'oh! So, twas a slightly later than anticipated 12.30 when I dropped Rich off, ruminating on a variable Ride set. A shame much of the new material didn't shine through as hoped, but the likes of "Lannoy Point" and particularly "Taste" showed Ride can still hit the heights if their aim is right. So I'll remember that from tonight!