POP MUSIC REVIEW : In L.A. Debut, Ride Revs Up Plenty of Drive, but Lush Is Thin in Spirit

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 this 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 plays tonight at Bogarts, 6272 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach. Information: (213) 594-8976. Lush opens for the Sisters of Mercy Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, 8800 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. Tickets: $15. Information: (714) 855-8096.