Ocean Colour Scene

Ocean Colour Scene play 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin on 19 November 2026. Formed in Birmingham in 1989, the band moved from early baggy and indie roots to a leaner rock writing shaped by britpop, blues rock and a distinctly English soul touch. The core of Simon Fowler, Steve Cradock and Oscar Harrison has carried the songs for decades, with the bass seat passing from Damon Minchella to Dan Sealey and then Raymond Meade.

The group’s rise in the mid-90s was tied to the stage with Paul Weller — Cradock a long-time sideman, Fowler a regular guest — and a 1995 tour with Oasis. Albums like Moseley Shoals (1996), Marchin’ Already (1997) and One from the Modern (1999) fixed their sound: melodic choruses, clean guitars, supple rhythms and a clear mod lineage. Later records, from Mechanical Wonder and North Atlantic Drift to On the Leyline, Saturday and Painting, kept that concise song craft in focus.

On stage, Ocean Colour Scene lean into that catalogue with tight arrangements, harmonies up front and guitar lines that ring. Dublin gets a set that balances staples with deeper cuts, playing the band’s strengths without frills.