POP MUSIC REVIEW : Baby Bands Ride Out the Storm

It was no surprise to see Ride’s Andrew Bell wielding a Rickenbacker 12-string guitar at the Roxy on Wednesday. The instrument is indelibly linked to the folk-rock sound of the Byrds, whose density and harmonies form one pillar of the young English group’s sound.

Ride’s L.A. debut came as part of its U.S. tour with Lush--two baby bands from England cutting their teeth on the road, flipping a coin each night to see who plays first. Ride’s two principals, Bell and singer-guitarist Mark Gardener, looked like young teen-agers stumbling onto something almost beyond their comprehension.

But Ride’s opening set offered more than a shot of youthful innocence and enthusiasm. It was a notice-serving blast of guitar grandeur incorporating Jesus and Mary Chain drone, R.E.M. mystery vibes, the Cure’s psychedelic trance and Crazy Horse’s full-throttle assault. Folk harmonies fought against the mighty wind, and the foursome sometimes suggested a bagpipe break in a steel mill until the modalities dropped away altogether, leaving only pure, exquisite noise.

It was a pretty overwhelming set, inspiring both stage-diving and arms raised in tribute, and Lush couldn’t match it. Even though Lush played more thrash tempos, it generated a more sedate response. And though it conjured dreamier atmospheres, it remained less enveloping and involving.

The two female singer-guitarists, Miki Berenyi and Emma Anderson, form a promising team, but until they find the formula that reconciles their Siouxsie & the Banshees and Cocteau Twins impulses, they should probably scrap the coin-toss and be happy to open the shows.

Ride also plays Friday at Bogart’s and Saturday at Club Lingerie, while Lush joins the Sisters of Mercy at San Diego’s Open Air Theatre on Saturday and Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on Sunday.