Pop Break Live: Ride with The Spirit of the Beehive at Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, Canada
Words and Photos by Matt DiPaola
Since reuniting in 2014, ’90s shoegaze fans around the world have been lining up to see Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Loz Colbert and Steve Queralt bring their wall of sound to Coachella, Primavera Sound, Riot Fest and local venues in every major city.
Their latest album, This is Not a Safe Place, the second album they have released since getting back together, sounds like the lads have found their chemistry again and are moving together as a tight unit again. Having missed my chance in the ’90s, I had a chance to catch their latest tour at the Legendary Danforth Music Hall in Toronto, which incidentally, just celebrated its 100th anniversary.
The band kicked off the show with two songs from the new album – the upbeat sing-a-long “Jump Jet” and a strumming, bouncy love song, “Future Love” before leading into the hypnotic baseline, drums and guitar of fan favorite “Leave The All Behind” from Going Blank Again.
Ride continued to seamless weave the setlist through more songs from This is Not a Safe Place like “Fifteen Minutes,” “Eternal Recurrence,” and “Repetition,” and a couple from “Weather Diaries,” before taking us on a trip down memory lane.
The slow crescendo of “OX4” and the jangly guitars and head bobbing of “Twisterella” from 1992’s Going Blank Again to the haunting vocals of Vapour Trail from 1990’s Nowhere and the full sound assault of shoegaze-y hazy guitar that is “Drive Blind” from 1990’s Compilation, Smile satisfied the die hard fans in the room.
The pace picked up with a high energy and rock and roll light show for “Kill Switch” as the closing number. The crowd was then rewarded with three encores, including the first time Ride played “End Game” live and two other classics, Seagull and Chelsea Girl.
Setlist:
Jump Jet
Future Love
Leave Them All Behind
Fifteen Minutes
Eternal Recurrence
Chrome Waves
Shadows Behind The Sun
Repetition
Lannoy Point
All I Want
OX4
Twisterella
Vapour Trail
Drive Blind
Kill Switch
Encore:
End Game
Seagull
Chelsea Girl
