The ageing shoe-gazers are out in force tonight. Over twenty years since Ride’s debut album, and pretty much the same passing time for the commercial peak of Cocteau Twins, two leading luminaries from the long lost Scene That Celebrates Itself have gone out on tour together, and being here is like attending a Potterrow Student’s Union circa 1990 reunion. Black overcoats and balding pates are the order of the evening.
Mark Gardener, ex front-man of the somewhat forgotten Ride, is on first, equipped with just a guitar, some loop pedals and a trilby jauntily perched on his head. Having clearly visited Edinburgh several times in recent years, Gardener is well received by an enthusiastic crowd, though much of his material verges on slightly bland acoustic guitar pop. His youthful voice remains in counterpoint to his more grizzled appearance and a run through Ride’s “Vapour Trails” recalls more halcyon days.
By the time ex-Cocteau Twin guitarist and now producer Guthrie takes the stage, it really does begin to feel like we’re caught in a twenty-year timeslip. Guthrie’s solo material essentially recalls an instrumental Cocteau Twins, devoid of Elisabeth Fraser’s startling vocal whoops, and occasionally veers towards New Age music for a floatation tank.
While the presence of a live bassist and drummer (hence the “trio”) seems rather unnecessary for this kind of music, it’s really all about Guthrie’s guitar washes and cascades. It’s like floating in a bath of aural amniotic fluid. Guthrie smiles beatifically at the audience occasionally, but generally keeps his head down and doesn’t utter a single word throughout his performance. Still shoe-gazing, and really quite lovely.