Nineties favourite still making waves some 30 years on
Ocean Colour Scene singer fondly remembers the band’s early breakthrough
Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’roll! Ocean Colour Scene has lifted the lid on their wild 90s heydays as they prepare to celebrate their 30th anniversary next year.
Once Britain’s second biggest-selling band, beaten to the top spot by their pals, Oasis, the Birmingham outfit’s 1996 triple platinum album Moseley Shoals remains the go-to record for Britpop fans.
Frontman Simon Fowler still can’t believe the way things worked out for them.
One day he was a jobbing reporter on a newspaper, the next he was a stoner writing songs in some beat-up studio.
Then all of a sudden his band were topping the charts with the release of their mega hit The Riverboat Song.
The impact on the Birmingham band was huge, complete with rock ‘n’ roll excesses.
Simon told The Beat: “It was astounding, one minute we were on eggs and beans and the next we were playing the Albert Hall.
“It meant that I could move out of a bedsit that had a broken window and frost on the duvet.
“It was everything you could imagine it was like for a rock band of that era, thank Christ it was 21 years ago.”
Having notched up nine albums over their 30 year career, OCS remain one of Britain’s most prolific groups.
Three of their LP’S breaking into Top 5 – 1996’s Moseley Shoals, 1997’s Marchin’ Already and 1999’s One From The Modern – along with a run of nine successive Top 20 hit singles.
Fowler said the secret to the band’s longevity is his strong friendship with bandmates Oscar Harrison and Steve Craddock.
“We’ve been around for a long time. “I suppose friendship is at the heart of everything and it’s certainly is what has kept us going down through the years.
“I think also the fact that we’re not very good at doing anything else helps, I don’t know what I’d do if I wasn’t a musician.
“Getting together it was all about being part of a gang, you know?
“Now that we’re all grown up, so to speak, we don’t really play up anymore we’re sort of well behaved now and sensible.”
To celebrate their anniversary the band are hitting the road again for a series of Christmas shows, which sees them play
Dublin’s Olympia on
December 12.
“We love Dublin.
Ireland has been very good to us down through the years and we’re very much looking forward to being back at
The Olympia.”
The first time they played the Albert Hall they were supported by an early edition of Oasis which featured both
Gallagher brothers, but
’It was everything you could imagine it was like for a rock band of that era, thank Christ it was 21 years ago’
Ocean Colour Scene’s more memorable nights have come in Scotland and Ireland, maintains
Simon.
“There’s nothing like an Irish audience,” he said. “I remember we did a record signing at shop in Dublin back in the early 90s and the place was thronged.
“The police had to be called as we were leaving because there were that many fans all around our bus, rocking it and singing.
“This lad young lad sprinted behind the bus after we set off, for what must have been a mile and a half, until the bus pulled up on some traffic lights, and we got him on board to sign some stuff for him.
“He was in tears and was so overwhelmed that when we said goodbye and pulled off we noticed he had left all his bloody things on the bus.”
From their days as Breton-shirt wearing disciples of The Stone Roses to million-pound selling Britpop stars in their own right to long-term touring allies with Paul Weller, (inset) Ocean Colour Scene have written themselves into the history books of rock music.
Not just a nostalgic tour, fans can expect to hear some new material at the Dublin show as they have just recorded an EP.
“We’ve got four new tracks which we’re hoping to show our fans along the tour,” he said.
“It’s going to be nice to play some new stuff along with the older tracks that fans will know quite well.
locean Colour Scene play Dublin’s Olympia Theatre on December 12, tickets priced from €41.05, available at Ticketmaster.