Ride (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1988 in Oxford, England |
| Headquarters | Oxford , England |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
Ride is a rock group from England that originated in Oxford in 1988. The lineup features vocalists and guitarists Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, drummer Laurence "Loz" Colbert, along with bassist Steve Queralt. They are widely acknowledged as trailblazers of shoegaze, a subgenre of alternative rock that rose to prominence in the UK during the early 1990s.
Their initial two albums, Nowhere (1990) and Going Blank Again (1992), have received critical acclaim as some of the finest shoegaze records. The lead single from Going Blank Again, "Leave Them All Behind", stands as their highest-charting track, reaching No. 9 on the UK Singles Chart. Both Going Blank Again and its successor, Carnival of Light (1994), climbed to No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart.
The band split up in 1996 shortly before releasing their fourth album, Tarantula, which was met with largely negative reviews. In 1999, Bell joined Oasis as their bassist. Ride reunited in 2014 for touring purposes and later released three more albums: Weather Diaries (2017), This Is Not a Safe Place (2019), and Interplay (2024).
1988–1989: Formation and Early Days
Ride was formed in 1988 by Andy Bell and Mark Gardener, who had been classmates at Cheney School in Oxford. They met Laurence Colbert and Steve Queralt at North Oxfordshire College, completing the band’s lineup. Queralt, previously involved with Bell in an obscure reggae/pop project, was recruited from a local record store where he worked as a singles buyer. Inspired by a Smiths concert, the group chose the name 'Ride' to evoke themes of travel and music. Their debut performance took place at the college Christmas party, accompanied by a demo tape featuring tracks like "Chelsea Girl" and "Drive Blind." The demo garnered attention after DJ Gary Crowley played it on air, catching the eye of Alan McGee, formerly manager of the Jesus and Mary Chain. After supporting the Soup Dragons in 1989, Ride secured a deal with McGee's Creation Records.
1989–1993: Establishing Themselves on Creation Records
In 1990, Ride released three EPs—Ride, Play, and Fall—all entering the UK top 75 chart, with Play and Fall breaking into the top 40. These releases marked Creation Records' initial chart successes. The EPs were combined for the US market into the album Smile (1990) and also contributed to their debut album Nowhere (1990), which reached No. 11 on UK charts and earned silver status. The band maintained a steady output of new material, drawing comparisons to prolific release patterns seen with bands like the Beatles and the Jam.
Although frequently categorized as shoegaze artists, Ride distanced themselves from this label, highlighting their wide range of influences including My Bloody Valentine, The Stone Roses, Sonic Youth, Spacemen 3, Dinosaur Jr., alongside classic rock legends such as the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Their early recordings for John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show enhanced their reputation significantly; three tracks made it into his Festive Fifty list in 1990.
Following Nowhere, they put out the Today Forever EP in 1991, which marked a stylistic move toward less distorted sounds. The band toured extensively overseas in Japan, Australia, and France; their Japanese concerts sold out quickly. In 1992, they achieved a UK top 10 hit with "Leave Them All Behind" and released their second album Going Blank Again, which peaked at No. 5 and attained gold certification. Despite this success, singles like "Twisterella" did not perform well commercially, resulting in reduced promotional support from Creation Records. A demanding tour across America further strained internal relationships within the group.
1994–1996: Shift in musical style
Although shoegaze's popularity declined with Britpop gaining momentum, Ride remained active, performing gigs that included joint appearances with The Charlatans. Their third studio effort, Carnival of Light (1994), produced by John Leckie and featuring input from Jon Lord of Deep Purple, divided songwriting duties between Gardener (handling the first half) and Bell (covering the latter half). This album incorporated classic rock elements and represented a move away from collective improvisation toward individually composed tracks. The reception from critics was predominantly negative, and even members of the band expressed dissatisfaction. Despite peaking at No. 5 on the UK charts, it failed to maintain sustained commercial success.
1996: Disbandment
Amid escalating internal tensions during the recording of their fourth album, Tarantula, Ride's sound further diverged—Gardener aimed to blend in dance music influences while Bell opposed this direction. Bell was responsible for most of the songwriting on Tarantula, with Gardener contributing just one track before departing during the mixing phase. Released briefly in March 1996 but soon pulled from shelves due to poor feedback, the album reached No. 21 on UK charts but was largely criticized for weak songwriting and a lack of unity, though its raw energy did receive some praise. Soon after, the band publicly announced their split.
1997–2001: Activities following the breakup
Following the dissolution, Andy Bell went on to establish Hurricane No. 1 before becoming Oasis’s bassist. Meanwhile, Mark Gardener and Laurence Colbert formed Animalhouse alongside Sam Williams; signed by BMG, they achieved some success in Japan before disbanding around 2002.
2001–2013: Channel Four reunion and subsequent projects
In October 2001, all four members briefly reunited for Channel 4’s documentary Pioneers, which led to a limited release entitled Coming Up for Air. This sparked renewed interest resulting in compilations such as OX4 The Best of Ride (2002) and live session collections like Waves (2003). Gardener pursued a solo path with the release of These Beautiful Ghosts (2005), supported by extensive touring alongside collaborators including Goldrush. Although Bell initially ruled out a full reunion due to high expectations, the group remained open to occasional collaborations and performed acoustic sets together sporadically.
2014–present: Reunion albums and ongoing activity
Ride officially reformed in November 2014, embarking on European and North American tours throughout 2015 that featured major festival slots like Coachella and Primavera Sound. What began as a touring-only venture evolved after enthusiastic responses encouraged them to create new material. In February 2017, they unveiled "Charm Assault," their first new track in over twenty years, followed by additional singles culminating in the release of Weather Diaries (June 2017). The album attained No. 11 on UK charts and garnered widespread critical praise.
Their sixth studio release, This Is Not a Safe Place, produced once more by Erol Alkan, arrived in August 2019. It climbed to No. 7 in the UK and broadened their international footprint with chart appearances in Australia.
Throughout the early 2020s, Ride continued extensive touring, including a co-headlining North American "Between Nowhere" tour with The Charlatans celebrating milestone anniversaries of landmark albums. In November 2022, they revealed work was underway on a seventh album; titled Interplay, it was officially announced in January 2024 alongside lead single "Peace Sign" and was released on March 29, 2024.
Members
- Mark Gardener – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Andy Bell – lead vocals, lead guitar, keyboards
- Steve Queralt – bass guitar
- Laurence "Loz" Colbert – drums
Studio albums
| Release date | Album | Label | UK Chart | AUS Chart | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 October 1990 | Nowhere | Creation | 11 | 104 | BPI: Silver |
| 9 March 1992 | Going Blank Again | Creation | 5 | 56 | BPI: Gold |
| 20 June 1994 | Carnival of Light | Creation | 5 | 32 | |
| 20 March 1996 | Tarantula | Creation | 21 | — | |
| 16 June 2017 | Weather Diaries | Wichita | 11 | — | |
| 16 August 2019 | This Is Not a Safe Place | Wichita | 7 | 78 | |
| 29 March 2024 | Interplay | Wichita | 8 | — | |
| "—" indicates albums that did not enter the charts. | |||||
EPs
| Release date | Title | Label | UK Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 1990 | Ride | Creation | 71 |
| 2 April 1990 | Play | Creation | 32 |
| 17 September 1990 | Fall | Creation | 34 |
| 4 March 1991 | Today Forever | Creation | 14 |
| 1994 | Live | — | — |
| 2002 | Coming Up for Air | — | — |
Compilations and live albums
- Smile (1990) Sire/Creation
- Kaleidoscope (1991) Sire (promo only)
- Grasshopper (1992) Sire/Warner Bros.
- Cosmic Carnival (1994) Sire
- Live Light (1995) Mutiny/Elektra
- Box sets: Ride (Box Set), OX4 The Best of Ride, Firing Blanks Unreleased Ride Recordings, Live Reading Festival 1992 (all circa 2001)
- Waves: Radio 1 Sessions 90-94 (2003)
- Tomorrow's Shore (Wichita, 2018)
- 4EPs (Wichita, 2022)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUS | US Alt. | |||
| 1991 | "Taste" | — | — | 24 | Nowhere |
| "Vapour Trail" | — | — | — | ||
| 1992 | "Leave Them All Behind" | 9 | 89 | 20 | Going Blank Again |
| "Twisterella" | 36 | 105 | 12 | ||
| 1994 | "Birdman" | 38 | — | — | Carnival of Light |
| "How Does It Feel to Feel?" | 58 | — | — | ||
| "I Don't Know Where It Comes From" | 46 | — | — | ||
Videography
- Ride: Today Forever (1991)
- Ride: Live at Brixton Academy (1992)
External links
- Articles with short description
- Musical groups established in 1988
- Musical groups disbanded in 1996
- Musical groups reunited in 2001
- Musical groups disbanded in 2001
- Musical groups reunited in 2014
- English alternative rock bands
- Creation Records artists
- British shoegaze bands
- Britpop bands
- English musical quartets
- Sire Records artists
- Musical groups originating from Oxford
- Wichita Recordings artists
- 1988 establishments in England
- Musical groups disestablished in 1996