Ocean Colour Scene

Formed in Birmingham in 1989, Ocean Colour Scene initially belonged to the British baggy and indie milieu of the early 1990s before steering their songwriting toward a more direct rock sound, informed by Britpop, blues rock and English soul. The band’s core coalesced around Simon Fowler, Steve Cradock, Oscar Harrison and bassist Damon Minchella, who was later replaced by Dan Sealey and then Raymond Meade. After their debut album, Ocean Colour Scene (1992), the group’s trajectory shifted mid-decade thanks to scene ties with Paul Weller — with whom Steve Cradock regularly played and on whose records Simon Fowler also appears — and to a 1995 tour with Oasis. Ocean Colour Scene then established themselves within the Britpop wave with Moseley Shoals (1996), Marchin’ Already (1997) and One from the Modern (1999), albums that combine melodic choruses, crisp guitars, supple rhythms and a notable mod influence. Their subsequent discography, from Mechanical Wonder (2001) through North Atlantic Drift (2003), A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad (2005), On the Leyline (2007), Saturday (2010) and Painting (2013), shows a band faithful to a concise rock-song formula, balancing pub-rock energy, understated psychedelic touches and an unapologetic sixties heritage. Ocean Colour Scene have continued to tour regularly across the United Kingdom.