New Hampshire
England’s Ride Bathe New Hampshire Concertgoers In Soundscapes And Memories: Review
PORTSMOUTH, NH — It is hard to believe that it has been more than three decades since the short-lived shoegaze scene emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s, peppering alternative rock with a cacophony of sound.
And those memories — a stable of dozens of really great bands from both Great Britain and the United States, offering all kinds of temptation via song for an old duffer like me, came back in a rush at the Ride gig, with Knifeplay opening, at the 3S Artspace in Portsmouth on Wednesday in front of a couple of hundred concertgoers of all ages.
Ride is one of my all-time favorite bands, and, for some reason, while living in the metro Boston area for what seemed like forever, I never got the chance to see them that I can recall. In hindsight, having probably seen a thousand shows and listening to the first two full-length releases by the band — 1990’s “Nowhere” and 1992’s “Going Blank Again” endlessly, for years, this seems odd. In fact, on the list of life mistakes, not seeing Ride earlier would have to be right up there with having my children in my late 30s (LOL).
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The band, thankfully, did not disappoint, kicking into the still stunning “Dreams Burn Down,” about seven minutes of crash-and-blast sonics, early in the set after a few new numbers (hearing that song live was my mental hope on Wednesday night, fulfilled early).
The band was solid through most of the set, offering “Taste,” another track from “Nowhere,” the joyful “Twisterella,” the second single from “Going Blank Again,” and the early single “Drive Blind.”
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Lead singer Mark Gardener, whose below-the-eyes mop top of yore is all gone, was solid throughout the night, mixing licks and sequenced synths on his guitar and even playing bass on a couple of new songs. “Peace Sign,” from the new record “Interplay,” was timely and had a few fans stretched out, offering the sign in response. Two other new songs from “Interplay,” unheard of by me but genuinely worth checking out, were the fantastic and haunting “Light in a Quiet Room” and “Last Night I Went Somewhere to Dream.”
Andy Bell, the lead guitarist who sang on a couple of numbers and performed backup vocals, too, was great as were Steve Queralt on bass and Lawrence Colbert on drums — with Loz getting a bit of ribbing from Gardener for checking his emails while the band members were getting ready for their set. Gardener noted, later, he was winging the first two songs without a setlist, which showed up later.
Ride skipped most of the mediocre, for lack of a better term but admitting to being overly critical, tracks from “Carnival of Light,” “Tarantula,” and “Weather Diaries” (although the quick jaunt of “Charm Assault” from “Diaries” would have fit right into the set easily).
The band closed with Bell’s incredible “Vapour Trail,” which, after nearly 35 years, can still bring a grown man to weepiness when identifying with loss:
“First you look so strong. Then you fade away. The sun will blind my eyes. I’ll love you anyway. Thirsty for your smile. I watch you for a while. You are a vapour trail. In a deep blue sky.”
The encore featured “Leave Them All Behind” from “Going Blank Again,” extended to a blissfully throbbing mess of nine minutes, another song I didn’t recognize, as well as “Chelsea Girl,” another early single.
Knifeplay’s Dreamy Opening Set
I want to start positively by saying I liked Knifeplay, especially knowing nothing of them before they started playing.
However, their short set, about four songs, was mired with issues, including a cracking vocal mic cord during the first song and feedback on the vocals for a couple of the other songs. They reminded me of a sleepier Slowdive — not really what I was looking for in an opener, but understandable as a double-booking of shoegaze bands.
TJ Strohmer, the founder of the band — it has been his outfit for about seven years, according to information online, offered some delightful guitar feedback while Jonny Klein, the lead guitarist, on two songs, blended in pretty slide sounds to accent Strohmer’s tunes. When I could hear her, Johanna Baumann’s strum and hum were precious and firm.
The vocal feedback appeared to be too much reverb on the mics of Baumann and Strohmer. It deterred from an overall engaging performance, unfortunately. Having been to many shows and even in bands myself, it is sometimes hard to step out of your comfort zone of what you want to deliver to audiences and what you hear in your head. While not trying to place blame because I don’t know if it was the band or the sound engineer, I suspect Knifeplay needs to step back a bit and find a way to allow the sound to wash over everyone without the unnecessary feedback brought on by cycling levels of reverb and volume of the vocal mics.
This was my first time at 3S Artspace, but I will consider attending shows here in the future.
Parking was easy to find, although $11 for a few hours. There was not much seating, but concertgoers knew that before they arrived. It might be nice to have another dozen or two stools here so the old folks can take a break (just a thought, not a demand). The ticketing was a breeze, everyone was friendly, and getting carded at almost 59 was amusing.
Food, Rooftop, Next Door
Trying to find a place to eat before the show was not hard since the Envio, a rooftop restaurant at the AC Hotel, was right next door.
The food and drinks were great — the Safe Harbor featured Ron Zacapa rum, port, and Earl Grey tea, a favorite of mine, while the cast iron Manhattan sirloin was glazed with a not-too-tangy mushroom sauce. The veggies were perfect, and the polenta was fine, too.
But the highlight of the Envio is the view of the city. As I sat at the bar, all I could imagine was what it would be like in the summer…
Why does Concord not have a place like this?
Info
Ride with Knifeplay will be at the Big Night Live in Boston on May 11, as well as tour dates through May in Detroit, Michigan; Chicago, Illinois; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Englewood, Colorado; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; and in Canada, too. The band returns to the States in December.
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The federal government has activated the New Hampshire National Guard’s 157th Air Refueling Wing in connection with the war with Iran.
“I’ve had a briefing myself, a classified briefing, but it’s really important on the messaging on this that we really coordinate with the Pentagon,” Gov. Kelly Ayotte told reporters during a press briefing following Wednesday’s Executive Council meeting.
Ayotte said she was unable to share additional details about the nature of the New Hampshire National Guard’s activity related to the conflict, including how many guard members have been activated or what role they are playing.
“We’re going to respect what messaging comes out of the Pentagon just to make sure that our men and women in uniform are fully protected and that we aren’t providing any information that could be used in a way that would be harmful to them,” Ayotte said.
In a statement Thursday, Ayotte said the unit had been deployed in late February to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility in support of the operation.
Earlier this week, Pentagon officials confirmed that members of the Vermont National Guard were involved in attacks against Iran over the weekend, though our news partners at Vermont Public were not able to confirm additional details on the nature of the operation.
During the briefing with local reporters, Ayotte also stressed her support for servicemembers and those close to them.
“I have such respect for our men and women in uniform,” Ayotte said. “As you know, I come from a military family, and they have our full support, and we appreciate them and their families, and obviously anyone who is serving right now, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost someone that they love.”
By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD – While Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said she opposes increasing highway toll rates across the state, the Senate voted Thursday to increase rates for out-of-state license plate holders.
It now goes to the House for consideration.
This would be a $1 increase for those who have out of state plates going through the tolls at Hooksett, Hampton and Bedford for out-of-state plates, a 75 cent hike for those taking Hampton’s Exit 2 and on the Spaulding turnpike at Rochester, and a 50 cent hike for those taking the exit off I-93 to Hooksett.
An analysis in the bill shows that this would increase toll revenue by $53.3 million in fiscal year 2027 and go up each year to generate $81.4 million a year in 2036.
Senate Bill 627 passed on a voice vote with two Republicans, Senators Regina Birdsell of Hampstead and William Gannon of Sandown opposing.
Senator Mark E. McConkey, R-Freedom, moved to take the bill off the table and offered an amendment.
He said the last time there was a systemwide increase to the turnpike toll was 19 years ago.
“I am sure we could all agree the cost of operations…has continued to escalate when revenue is not rising with it,” and he noted that with an enterprise fund, the state can only spend what it takes in.
The state has just completed a 10-year highway plan and there was a $400 million shortfall in projects that could not be paid for under the current income.
McConkey said the measure would not increase tolls for New Hampshire drivers with a state license plate.
“Why don’t we ask our neighbors,” to pay a toll increase. “We are getting the best of all worlds,” by passing the bill, he said, including “protecting our residents” and having resources for improvements to the turnpike system.
Sen. Gannon, R-Sandown, asked McConkey if there are any studies on impacts near the border on businesses.
If implemented, McConkey said the state will be the 27th lowest in per mile cost still. McConkey said the bill would also increase from seven to 14 days the amount of time for those with NH license plates to pay for a toll adding there are other states that also have different rates for out-of-state users.
The Hampton toll cost would go from $2 to $3, while Hooksett and Bedford would rise from $1 to $2 for out-of-state plates.
New Hampshire currently has the lowest rate per mile among states with tolls roads.
The governor said she does not support a toll increase.
“We are not going to put a burden on drivers for a toll increase,” Ayotte said. “Families are struggling.”
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