Mark Gardener and Loz Colbert of Ride are loitering with intent backstage at Primavera before performing their first European festival of the summer, where they deliver a monumental set that effortlessly lives up to the slew of five-star reviews that has greeted their 2015 reunion.
“We have a legacy so the challenge was to come back and to raise it a notch,” reflects singer Mark Gardener. “We’ve really made a massive effort to make this work, but we’ve been overwhelmed by the response and reviews. In the past, lots of things felt great, but other people seemed to have other ideas.
“It’s been much better than we expected,” adds drummer Loz Colbert. “It’s made us think: what have we been doing for the last 20 years?”
So, what exactly have they been up since imploding in 1996? Andy Bell’s stint in Oasis and Beady Eye has been well-documented, but the rest of the Oxford quartet have been busy keeping heads down and getting on with life.
“Musically, Loz and I did a little project called Animal House,” Gardener answers. “I became a hermit in France for three or four years. Then, I went to India for a little while. I got my energy back and did some solo shows and lots of collaborations with many different artists. It will come to light in time, because I’m releasing a record of all that.”
Even though Loz is acclaimed as one of the best drummers of his generation, he felt there was room for improvement. “I never had any lessons, so I studied drums for a year in London,” Colbert says. “I played with The Jesus and Mary Chain. When Danny Goffey was having a baby, I stood in for him in Supergrass. I had to learn all the songs very quickly, basically in the space of two rehearsals and then go off and do an entire European tour straightaway. I played with Damo Suzuki for a while. More recently, I played with Gaz Coombes’ solo project. Apart from all that, I met my wife and started a family. Sometimes, I even went on holiday.”
Ride have very fond memories of playing Ireland and are greatly looking forward to ending their long absence at the Picnic. “We did Féile with Happy Mondays and the Farm, which was great,” Mark says. “The club shows in Ireland were always amazing. I remember being shown around Belfast twenty years ago when it was very different to what it's like now. It was really interesting. It is lovely to play in places like that, or anywhere where there have been ongoing issues.”
Loz Colbert particularly cherishes a show in Trinity College’s former Buttery Bar. “It’s still in my top five Ride gigs,” he enthuses. “The audience were absolutely amazing. In my opinion, Glasgow and Trinity had the best audiences we ever played for.”
Some might find it somewhat surprising that all hatchets appear to be buried once and for all, as Andy Bell has said of their break-up, “Imagine an argument where the way you win is by saying, ‘I don’t want my songs on the same side of the album as yours’ and it actually happens. We were allowed by the people around us to behave like total babies.”
“Basically, it all got healthy again,” Gardener responds. “I think it was more difficult for Andy because he was in Oasis and Beady Eye. He kept on being asked why Ride didn’t get back together. Now, he’s getting questions about Oasis all the time. He has great respect for all the bands he was in, so he won’t say anything to deflect from Ride. We’ve been talking about this seriously for over three years. Relations were strained in 1996 but since then, we’ve always got on.”
“We’ve got a lot out of our system,” Loz ads. “Now it’s me and Loz who have an unhealthy relationship,” Gardener laughs.
Given this new-found stability, could Ride surprise us like their former Creation Records band mates My Bloody Valentine and get round to releasing new material?
“Right now, it’s about the shows,” Gardener answers. “We’re living in the moment and not making plans. This tour will go on for quite a while, so we’ll see where we are after it. Don’t make plans. Especially if you’re in a band, because they never work out right.”
As Mercury Rev memorably sang on ‘Holes’ from Deserter’s Songs; “Bands, those funny little plans, that never work quite right.”