Making their Australian debut, Sky Parade is working double time on this tour. Not only do they open the show, they’ll be seen again later providing backing to headliner Mark Gardener.
The LA quartet’s originals give a good indication of why Gardener asked them to back him; the chiming guitars portray the influence of many a guitar-led indie band from the early 90s who also had a foot in the 60s.
The Underground Lovers – who arrive next – have recently been in the studio working on their first album in over a decade. From opener ‘Dream It Down’, it seemed as though the creative energy in the studio was being carried on to the stage.
It’s a tight and confident set punctuated by a particularly good version of ‘Beautiful World’, as well as a new track that was driven by a pulsating motorik beat.
The sprawling ‘Your Eyes’ had large pockets of the crowd at the front dancing as it closed the set. Having not seen the Underground Lovers since one of their very first reunion shows in 2009, it’s nice to see that the group hasn’t lost the initial reformation spark.
The idea of a member of a long-split band performing the music of said band with another group of musicians is not new.
It’s been carried out with varying degrees of success and credibility since the dawn of popular music (or maybe even before). With a Ride reunion seeming ever less likely as time goes on, seeing Mark Gardener perform Ride songs is probably the closest we’re going to get.
Since his first Australian tour as a solo artist in 2004, Mark Gardener has kept himself busy. He released his debut solo album, These Beautiful Ghosts and soundtracked Upside Down: The Creation Records Story; a documentary about the recording home to Ride and a host of other influential acts during the 80s and 90s.
He’s also recorded with The Morning After Girls, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and Robin Guthrie from the Cocteau Twins, amongst others.
Gardener’s last tour here was almost entirely acoustic. This time, as mentioned above, Sky Parade joined him to fill out the sound. The set opened with the band playing two Gardener numbers, followed by ‘Chrome Waves’, from Ride’s second album, Going Blank Again (soon to be getting a 20th anniversary reissue).
The set followed a similar style: a couple of solo songs, a couple of Ride songs, repeat. It would be fair to say that the majority of the audience came to this gig to hear the catalogue of Gardener’s former band; Indeed, it seems as though any time a non-Ride song begins, many use it as an opportunity to refresh themselves.
Having the newer material sit side by side with the likes of ‘In A Different Place’ and ‘Twisterella’ worked to varying degrees, but it also felt like it held the show back from absolutely soaring.
Sky Parade’s backing on the Ride material was lovingly authentic, right down to Tommy Dietrick’s Andy Bell-esque harmony with Gardener (particularly prevalent during ‘How Does It Feel To Feel’). Hearing ‘Time Machine’ was a nice surprise, particularly as Ride never played it (They were too stoned at the time, according to Gardener).
The biggest highlights were main set closer ‘Vapour Trail’ and encore closer ‘Leave Them All Behind’. These were the moments the band and the crowd really soared, joyous moments of joy that made the lulls feel less of a big deal.
One can always hope that there’ll be a Ride reunion sometime in the future. Hell, Beady Eye might split and Andy Bell might find himself at a loose end.
Who knows? For now, seeing one member sing their songs will have to do even if it didn’t quite hit the spot.
– Michael Hartt
