Ocean Colour Scene @ Civic Hall Wolverhampton, 9th December 2011
It was nostalgia that brought me here tonight and I’m sure I wasn’t alone in that. A chance to see Ocean Colour Scene play their 1996 album ‘Moseley Shoals’ could not be missed and I hoped I wouldn’t be disappointed. Having spent my teens in the Brit Pop era, I wondered whether tonight would live up to my memory of this local band, having never seen them play live before.
Manchester four-piece The Rainband opened tonight’s show to a half empty Civic Hall. They certainly captured the old Brit Pop feel especially in opening songs ‘Stars Collide’, ‘Headlong’ and ‘I believe in you.’ The guitars were a balanced mixture of punchy strumming and melodic picking, however at times they were lost behind the heavy bass and drums. A little adjusting to the sound levels is all that’s needed to enhance their performance and bring those great guitar riffs to the forefront. Front man Martin Finnigan commanded attention and got the sparse crowd clapping along to his demands. He used humour to win over the crowd but his vocals showed that he’s got some talent too. Showcasing their new single ‘The Prodigal’, The Rainband opened the night well. To me it was a familiar sound that wasn’t going to grab everyone’s attention; it got the usual hustle and bustle that support acts get, with just the first few rows nodding along.
It was a different picture as the ever growing crowd cheered as Ocean Colour Scene took to the stage.
Opening with the unmistakeable riff of ‘The Riverboat Song’ and sing-a-long track ‘The Day We Caught The Train’, everyone was now paying attention. As these crowd favourites played out, they showed how strong and polished this band really is live. Fifteen years since ‘Moseley Shoals’ was released and straight away my reservations about what they would be like had disappeared. They had the crowd singing at the top of their voices and their arms in the air. At this point I knew it was going to be a great display of talent and a lot of fun. It wasn’t just like sitting at home listening to the album, the more gentle tracks like ‘fleeting mind’ and ‘the downstream’ gave variety to a bigger live sound that really had some punch.
Steve Cradock on lead guitar was just amazing and the whole band showed that they are great all-round musicians and vocalists. Roadies were coming on and off the stage, preparing the guitars for the next song, adding to a seamless 21-song performance. This compensated for a definite lack of interaction between the band and audience. Simon Fowler’s vocals were strong and because the passion for the songs were so strong, it didn’t matter that he let the crowd sing chunks of chorus’, all it did was add to the electric atmosphere. With a reggae sound to ‘It’s My Shadow’ and extended percussions to ‘You’ve Got It Bad’, they gave an extra flavour that the crowd responded well to. Ending on ‘Get Away’ there was an atmospheric powerful sound that got everyone dancing, including a couple of children in Christmas hats at the back of the stage.
The whole performance had a fun party feel to it, and it looked like everyone was having a really good time. They were celebrating 22 years together and Simon thanked the crowd for being there with them. It felt unusual to have a ten minute interval at a gig such as this, but it was a good way to announce the end of the ‘Moseley Shoals’ set and prepare us for a more unpredictable second half. They mixed old with new, beginning with 2010 track ‘Magic Carpet Days’, which didn’t get as big a reception as the ‘Marchin’ Already’ tracks did. It was clear that the crowd here were wanting to be back in the 90s tonight as they jumped, clapped and sang along to singles ‘Better Day’, ‘Get Blown Away’ and ‘Travellers Tune’. Drummer Oscar Harrison’s voice echoed out the words ‘peace in the world’ before everyone chanted along to ‘Profit in Peace’ at high volume. Then the biggest crowd reaction came for ‘Hundred Mile High City’, a heavier sound that was only going to get an already buzzing crowd jumping somewhat uncontrollably.
The encore saw Simon Fowler return with just his acoustic guitar to sing ‘Robin Hood’ with the crowd, ending with the opening lyrics to Oasis’ ‘Live Forever’, before the band joined him for Beatles Cover ‘Day Tripper’. This concluded a very solid, professional night that mixed a high quality performance with a clear fun atmosphere for all. Ocean Colour Scene surpassed my expectations tonight and proved why they still deserve a place on stage fifteen years after ‘Moseley Shoals’ was released.
Set List
1. The Riverboat Song
2. The Day We Caught The Train
3. The Circle
4. Lining Your Pockets
5. Fleeting Mind
6. 40 Past Midnight
7. One For The Road
8. It’s My Shadow
9. Policemen & Pirates
10. The Downstream
11. You’ve Got It Bad
12. Get Away
Interval:
13. Magic Carpet Days
14. Get Blown Away
15. Saturday
16. Profit In Peace
17. Better Day
18. Travellers Tune
19. Hundred Mile High City
Encore:
20. Robin Hood
21. Day Tripper
Review – Karen Trenbirth
Photos – Ken Harrison