Ride’s Mark Gardener was a cover star in the early 1990s. The band may not have equalled the revolutionary impact of their fellow effects-pedal kings My Bloody Valentine, but crucially they had better lips and hair. More than two decades on, the 45-year old frontman sports a stylish titfer, but his cherubic looks are still clearly visible as the reformed band walk on stage to a heroes’ welcome.

Once upon a time, the Oxford quartet were at the helm of the briefly huge “shoegazing” movement – so called because the performers stared down at their effects units, as if they were admiring their footwear. Now that such daft tags no longer matter, Ride can be recognised for what they always were: a superior psychedelic pop band. Opening with the driving Leave Them All Behind and Like a Daydream, they produce their trademark, kaleidoscopic wall of sound.

Where these noisily evocative songs once pulsated with the dreams of youth, they now take on a more wistful quality; that nobody has sounded quite like this for so long makes them sound weirdly fresh. It helps that the reunited quartet play them with the care and passion of musicians who made – and still make – an emotional connection.

By the time Twisterella piles into Dreams Burn Down, grown men are punching the air on the balcony and yummy mummies shake their hair. Then come the special moments: the crowd sing Taste and the guitar melodies to Vapour Trail and the band make a pulverising racket for several minutes before brilliantly hurtling back into Drive Blind.

By the time the foursome launch into their 20th and final tune, a surprise cover of the Stooges’ I Wanna Be Your Dog, Gardener is grinning ear to ear, and a thrilled Andy Bell makes the uncharacteristic gesture of removing his shades. The guitarist apparently once said a reunion “would not live up to expectations”. Presumably the backstage catering includes a slice of humble pie.

• At the Roundhouse, London, on 24 May and the Field Day festival in Victoria Park, London, on 7 June. Details: rideox4.net