Ride Live on KCRW – “Seagull”

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Jason Bentley and Ride. Photo by Brian Lowe

After a nearly 20-year break, hugely influential UK band Ride has reunited and they chose KCRW for their first U.S. show since they’ve reemerged as a band.

They played a live set on MBE this morning in advance of their Coachella appearance this weekend and they were in top form.

According to Mark Gardener, the band has stayed in touch and were aware that fans were clamoring for them to return.

They formed in 1988 in Oxford and emerged, arguably, during one of the most fruitful times for UK rock music – the early 90’s.

(Note from Music Librarian Eric J Lawrence: Oxford was previously thought as more of a sleepy college town, better known for authors like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Lewis Carroll, until Ride helped inaugurate an explosion of music from the city, which also included bands such as Heavenly, Supergrass, Swervedriver and Radiohead – from nearby Abingdon)

They came to define the “shoegaze” genre, dreamy, melodic rock often with fuzzy yet searing guitar solos.

As Mark said, they have all been “free birds, busy doing their own bits and pieces” but last year they made the decision put their music back out “to a whole new public.”

When asked about the possibility of new recorded music, they said they wanted to make everyone proud with their string of live shows first before they jump in but “it’s a possibility.”

Ride Set List Live on KCRW

Leave Them All Behind
Taste
Burn Down
Vapour Trail
Like a Daydream
Seagull

RR