Live Review

Ocean Colour Scene @ Max Watt’s

Britpop stalwarts Ocean Colour Scene (UK) play their Classic 1996 Mosely Shoals album with Special Guest James Wright.

The Opening Act is local muso and DJ James Wright, who delivers a quality DJ Set of “Old School” 60’s and 70’s Rock, Rhythm N’ Blues and Soul classics to warm up a large crowd who were thoroughly enjoying it. 

The main event is highly anticipated, not just because the band is touring the 20th anniversary of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals, and playing it in its entirety - start to finish, but because this is the band’s first tour down under.

The album reached number 2 in the U.K. charts and has sold 1.3 million copies worldwide. The album is a blend of 60’s style Rhythm N’ Blues and Folk Rock and the five-piece band truly delivered in an epic display of nostalgia.

From the opening riff of track one, The Riverboat Song, through to the wailing barnstorming solo on the album closer Get Away, guitarist Steve Craddock was awesome, and despite sound troubles and guitar technical difficulties throughout the show, he still managed to sound absolutely amazing. A credit to the true axeman that he is. It was evident the crowd were in for a treat.

In the opening half of the show the band tore through the track listings. It wasn’t till after the first three songs, The Riverboat Song, The Day We Caught The Train and The Circle, that Simon Fowler, the five-piece band’s singer/songwriter, first spoke to the crowd, announcing, “Well, those were our three big hits, I’m sure that’s what you all came to see and you can all go home now.” The tone of the evening was a little off, especially for the band. I suspect largely due to issues they were having with guitar and sound. The three hundred strong crowd didn’t care. No one moved. The punters had come to witness a musical experience. It’s not often you get see a band play a whole album live and a most lauded one at that. 

Being such and epic album, it’s difficult not to touch on all of the 12 tracks. Particular highlights were the crowd pleasing The Day We Caught The Train, 40 Past Midnight, Policeman and Pirates and You’ve Got It Bad, which featured an epic drum solo from Oscar Harrison that shook the foundations of Max Watt’s. In between times, the more melancholic style of Lining Your Pockets, It’s My Shadow and The Downstream showcased frontman Simon Fowler’s versatility as both a vocalist and songwriter. The Downstream was performed as a solo by him. 

The crowd was largely middle aged and full of British expats who seemed to know every word and were lapping up the nostalgia. After the album came to its end with magnificent Get Away, the band rips into one of their bigger hit singles One Hundred Mile City, a track popularised by featuring on the soundtrack to the film Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. It was very well received by the audience, with the crowd going nuts and dancing like lunatics.  And that was it, job done. Show over. 

Not much was said by the band throughout the show. They didn’t give much away at all, the technical issues they were experiencing with Steve Craddock’s guitar clearly annoying them. They had come to play and that was that. The beer-soaked and sweat stained audience went home happy regardless. 

All-in-all it was a very solid live set by one of Britain’s great bands. Incredible actually. 

- Albie Allan

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