Every so often a gig comes along that you know you probably shouldn’t be spending money on, but you buy a ticket anyway. This was one of those occasions. Funds were a little tighter than I would have liked, but there was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to see Ride, especially when the support act was bdrmm, whose debut album had already become a firm favourite.
In truth, I was almost as excited about seeing bdrmm as I was about the headline act. Their debut record had impressed me enormously, combining elements of shoegaze, dream pop and alternative rock into something that felt both familiar and fresh. Some bands sound great on record but struggle to recreate the atmosphere live. Fortunately, bdrmm had no such problems. Even from the handful of songs I recorded, it was obvious that they were the real deal.
As is often the case with my carefully planned filming strategy, things didn’t quite go according to plan. Wanting to avoid carrying my jacket around all night, I left it in the car before heading to the venue. Unfortunately, it was only later that I remembered my wallet was still in the jacket pocket. Under normal circumstances that wouldn’t have mattered, except my spare camera battery was also in the wallet. It was one of those moments where you realise your future self is about to become very annoyed with your past self.
The timing couldn’t have been worse because Ride were touring to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Nowhere, one of the defining albums of the shoegaze era. For many fans, this was more than just another concert. It was an opportunity to hear a landmark record performed by the people who created it. Anticipation was understandably high.
When Ride eventually took to the stage, they wasted no time reminding everyone why they remain so highly regarded. The sound was immense. Layer upon layer of guitars crashed together to create the kind of sonic wall that only a handful of bands can achieve. It wasn’t merely loud; it was immersive. By the time they reached the Nowhere material, the audience were completely locked into it.
Of course, when the moment arrived to swap camera batteries, I suddenly remembered exactly where my spare one was.
In the car.
Attached to my wallet.
Which was also in the car.
As a result, I only managed to record the first nine songs before technology and absent-mindedness combined to bring my filming efforts to an abrupt conclusion. Thankfully, I had at least captured enough footage to give a flavour of the evening.
What I remember most, however, is the sheer volume and intensity of the performance. Ride didn’t so much play the audience as overwhelm them in the best possible way. It was a full-scale sonic assault that left our ears ringing for at least a day afterwards. Some concerts fade from memory surprisingly quickly. This was not one of them.
To round off the evening, we bumped into the guitarist and singer from bdrmm while leaving the venue. Being incapable of missing an opportunity for a photograph, I quickly asked if he would mind posing for one. Thankfully he was happy to oblige, and the resulting picture became a nice souvenir from an evening that had already delivered more than enough memorable moments.
Looking back, the decision to spend money I probably shouldn’t have spent was entirely justified. A brilliant support act, a legendary headline band and a performance powerful enough to leave a lasting impression long after the ringing in our ears had finally subsided.
The videos, photographs and clips below capture some of the evening. If you’re unfamiliar with either Ride or bdrmm, I’d strongly recommend changing that as soon as possible.
They were doing a tour to celebrate 30 years since the release of their classic debut album, Nowhere, so they played that before the encores. When it came time to change the battery I remembered where it was and so I only got the first nine songs.
It certainly was a sonic assault for over an hour and our ears were ringing for at least a day afterwards.
The Photos
Cheers!
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