The boys at NME have been waiting for this. A new OCS album that they can listen to once, (well the first 10 seconds of each track) toss in the bin, write a scathing review, sit back in their office chair and talk about how 1996 OCS are and how the next big thing are some transvestite semi-punk electronic band from Orkney! Tossers! Well here’s a proper review.
North Atlantic Drift is the record OCS needed to make. The edge is back, the tunes are there and it finally confirms what we already knew…..these guys are bloody special! Opener and first single ‘I just need Myself’ is top notch with a killer riff and great set of lyrics. ‘Dadrock’, ‘Britpop’? I don’t think so because the next three tracks ‘Oh Collector’, ‘North Atlantic Drift’ and ‘Golden Gate Bridge’ are the freshest pieces of music I have have anywhere, never mind from OCS in a long time.
You see despite the obvious debt OCS owe to the past as any band does they still write songs and bloody good ones at that. None of this Radiohead prog shit but develop as a person and musician and the music develops naturally and that’s the vibe OCS give. The best example of this is the sublime ‘Make the Deal’. The sound and production are like nothing OCS have ever done and hints at Phil Spector era Fabs. ‘For Every Corner’ and ‘On My Way’ are both potential hit singles, the latter a nod to the Red Hot Chilli Peppers with some brilliant Cradock playing.
‘Second Hand Car’ the song chosen as the German single is classic Fowler song writing and ‘She’s been writing’ is my personal favourite on the record and the inclusion of a string section ads to the sadness of the lyrics. It was written for Sandy Denny of the Fairport Convention and has her friend Linda Thompson on backing vocals. ‘The Song Goes on’ has a similar chord structure to ‘Something For Me’ but completely changes pace halfway through and closer ‘When Evil Comes’ is no ‘Getaway’ but all the better for it. Its again so different to anything that’s gone before. “The world wont Listen” , a reference to The Smiths maybe?
After the dissapointment of ‘Mechanical Wonder’ NAD is the best OCS record since Moseley Shoals and deserves the attention of the music press and the record buying public. Alas that wont happen and NME will go giddy with excitement but the sad thing for them is if they put OCS on their front cover it would probably sell more than it does normally. OCS are for the people and rejoice……. We got our band back!
This Review is by Rob Mac from Ireland - Thanks
This Review is by Stephen Boyle (Stegzy) - Thanks
The gig at the glasgow academy has got 2 b 1 of the best ocs gigs ive been 2, the venue was perfect,the lads were amazing, the fans were superb the full night was just perfect,from the minute they appeard on stage n hit us with oh collector it just set the tone for the rest of the night,just totally amazing, everysong deserve a mention as they were all playd superbly,the crowd bounced n sang theyre way through everysong n i certainly had the time of my life n im lookin forward 2 have more nights like that,i think the lads are in the form of theyre lives and can see them gettn stronger n better as the years go on.ocs n scottish fans seem 2 have a special relationship n after lastnight this was proved without a doubt,with the lads thanking the fans after nearly everysong n draping them selves with the scottish flags and hitting us with around 20 perfectly done old n new songs id have 2 say this was nothing short of perfect....
my fav thing about that gig last night was EVERYTHING...
PEACE
STEGZY...
*Stares, whistles, looks round, jumps up an down too excited to stay still, runs for a lag, runs back, waits! Cam on, then…. Babababa ba ba ba ba ba ba ba baba ba….. Avenues an alleyways……. The excitement builds……….. then from behind the curtain 4 blokes appeared!! WOO OOH a huge cheer came from the 2/3rds full!!! Barbican!!!! Oh Collector im so sorry!!!!!!!!! What a start the crowd got straight into it singing an rockin to this top opener!!! This was the start of a most rockin 2hrs of fine artistry from a truly superb band!!
The new material was immense, especially Golden Gate For every corner I just need myself Oh collector and On my Way!!! Everyone sang an new the words the atmosphere was immense!!!!
An Daimo been Daimo was obviously right at the front!!! Been squashed against the barrier!! But it rocked!! Stood right in front of Steve!!! On Simons left!?!?!?!
The classics got everyone going highlights being Travellers Tune One For The Road Day We Caught The Train Lining Your Pockets and of course Get Blown Away!!
Hundred was of course immense as ever!!! Simon going mental on stage!!!! Then from nowhere he ran over to our side of the stage and jumped off and landed right in front of me!!!! I couldn’t resist grabbing hold of him!!! It was so cool!! An he held my hand to get on the stage!!! Don’t worry I will wash it!!!
Other highlights were Steve sneaking up behind Simon at the start of Train and sticking his fingers up between Simons legs!! Which I think Simon really enjoyed ;o)
Well all of it was an highlight really!! What am I saying!!?!?!?!?
Then the boys left stage!!! After Hundred!! Booooooooooo, an cheers!! Boo’s cos they left!!! Nothing else!!
Robin Hood Robin Hood Robin Hood, Robin Hoooooooooood Robin Hood!!! For about 5mins was the cry!! Then Simon walked out by himself and said!! ‘er…. What song do u want’ how cool acoustic Robin Hood!!! Get in!!! This was followed by a truly rockin version of Get away! Which I think was the best of the night!! Then last of all was the legendary Riverboat Song!!! A truly fitting end to a great night!!!
This was my first OCS gig!!! An I can’t wait till Bradford!! Roll on October 1st!!!!
OCS Rule!!!
Daimo!
This Review is by Damien Gardner (Daimo) - Thanks
A class day! We started off at the soundcheck, didnt get inside until about 4:45 as it seems Steve was stuck in traffic. So with the lead guitarist absent, simon, damon and oscar did their best and started their warm up anyway. There was about 30 people inside and it was a really relaxed atmosphere. They were sounding good and you really came to appreciate damons bassist skills, when you see him pissing about with some random riffs - That man rocks! They did north atlantic drift, the circle and simon did a short rendition of Red Balloon by the Small Faces, which was nice! A few of my friends who came along had never seen them live and they thought OCS were great.
After the lads left Ewok to soundcheck steves guitars, damon and simon came to the front for pics and signings. It was so humbling and they went out of their way to show their appreciation for their support.
A few hours later and we were inside the venue and watching the Delays. We had decent standing positions, in the middle and just underneath the above balcany, which i thought would prevent us from being soaked from above (How wrong was I!). Support band were pretty good, their finale was their best tune and they sounded a bit like Manson?
About 9pm, the stage was empty and the crowd were becoming really desperate to see the lads, it was a great atmosphere and when the Avengers theme burst on, the crowd came alive. Oh Collector is a top tune to open on and even though it was fresh to the ears of a lot in the crowd, it didnt stop them from jumping to it!
There's not much i can really say about the performance, that hasnt already been said throughout this tour but as always, the musicianship was inspiring. The lads have such a wealth of material to choose from and the crowd were spoilt, they were also wet, very, very wet. After songs like Travellers Tune and The day we caught the train, you were already soaked but When Hundred Mile High City thundered on, it was like being at a fireworks display, plastic pints were flying everywhere! As Damon said afterwards, just be thankful it wasn't piss! (We can only hope!) I didnt really care about that though, i was seeing the band i love kicking arse on stage and the pint throwing just came across as an expression of total crowd jubilation.
Im pretty sure that Simon said the next single was going to be Golden Gate Bridge because he loved singing it!
To top the night off, we met damon, steve and oscar afterwards for some photos, such top people! I asked steve dont his fingers hurt after a gig and he preceeded to show me his swolen hands, man that guy really goes through some pain!
Simply the best gig i've ever been too, those Mods fookin rule!
This Review is by Steven Hassall - Thanks
Almost three months after the launch of their sixth studio album, Ocean Colour Scene drifted North to the Music Hall in Aberdeen. A sell out crowd was in the venue to hear the new album come to life with the first note of the first song, Oh Collector!
Having watched the boys from Birmingham at numerous venues throughout the UK over the last seven years, I feel qualified to say that they are untouchable when performing live, and even with Foxy Fowler obviously suffering from a heavy cold, nobody wanted to leave the venue by the time their set was completed with a rousing performance of the bands' signature tune, Riverboat Song.
Their first two songs were, Oh Collector and their first single from this album, I just need myself, a real high tempo number that is up their with all their classic tracks. After this the lads played The Circle, when the crowd started throwing an inflatable sheep around, this clearly amused the band, and it eventually ended up with Simon planting a kiss on the sheep, and shouting...”respect!”
Respect is a word that the band know all about, they get none from the huge areas of the media, and this is where manager Chris Craddock comes into his own. He obviously comes from the same school of management as Aberdeen's greatest manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Cradock has installed into the band and fans alike that the world is against them and everybody wants to put the boot in and see them fail. This has resulted in an even closer bond between fans and band, and when they enter the venue it is a theatre of dreams for all the true fans, with OCS always top of the league.
Second hand car is a real catchy number, and the crowd seemed to really take to this one, it ended with perfect timing when an acoustic guitar playing Steve and a really animated Damon killed the music at exactly the same second, this really amused both performers, and sent the crowd into raptures.
Simon, then announced the the title track of their fifth studio album as, “mechanical wank*r” and amended the lyrics to sing about ....”the mechanical wonder being a pain in the neck” and later in the song “fcuk radio 1”. Between Fowlers new version of this song and other songs on the night Lining your Pockets and the last single Make the Deal, this proves my theory on Cradock's managements technique, these songs encapsulate everything the boys and fans are up against, (their old) record companies and popular music radio stations that don't give them the air play their music deserves.
Simon also announced that before playing Golden Gate Bridge, that this would be the bands next single, a fantastic song sung with so much emotion you could just picture Foxy driving over the Golden Gate Bridge in a convertible heading for the beautiful Napa Valley with the love of his life and not wanting to be with anybody else.
The encore started with Simon on stage himself saying he fancied doing Robin Hood, which will always be special to the fans, personally I would like to see him continuing this slot with She's been writing, Fower's own tribute to Sandy Denny of Farport Convention fame, a real tribute to one of his heroes. This didn't detract from his performance of Robin Hood and the way he now ends the song with a couple of lines taken from an Oasis tune.(live forever)
This was a fantastic performance and one that the band seemed to enjoy, Simon showed why he is charismatic front man, Damon motivated the crowd and really showed why Weller, and Players are so keen to have him onboard, Steve again proved there is no limits to the you sounds you can create from his large collection of guitars, the guy is a genius, Oscar provided the booming back bone to all the songs, and couldn't keep a straight face everytime he looked at Damon, but where is your Scotland top on this tour Oscar?? and Chris stayed in the background knowing his motivation has paid off, by the way the band and fans loved every second of the performance.
Scotland salutes the band, and although Simon apologised for the first line of Up on the Downside, (..this England made me) before singing it, there was no need, although this gig was in Scotland, you know and I know the band were playing in their adopted home.
Respect
Donald Munro
This Review is by Donald Munro - Thanks
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My reaction was one of joy and disbelief when I heard the best fookin band in the world i were coming to humble little Limerick for a leg of the ‘unplugged tour’ tour. After all Simon and Oscar played here last November to a less than appreciative crowd but that was mainly due to bad local advertising and the warehouse was only half full.
We got to the venue about 4.30 to find just one fan, Helen from London waiting for the sound check. Later another guy who had no ticket, George turned up and was told to wait and see could get on the guestlist.
The band turned up around 5.15 and greeted us with offers of tea and biscuits . They chatted with us all including the four Dublin girls and then proceeded with the sound check playing ‘Sail on my Boat’, ‘Men of such Opinion’ and ‘Its my Shadow’. It went quite well after the technical problems in Waterford the night before. My ears were certainly enjoying themselves.
A beach ball was then dispatched to the band who engaged themselves in an impromptu game of footie between Steve, Oscar and Chris. It ended in victory for Steve when my mate Marko chested down a pass and crossed for Steve to volley right into the bar almost hitting a quite perturbed barmaid!
To have your hero’s literally inches away from you is an unnerving experience but the lads were just so down to earth that I felt at ease. They are genuinely sound and that says a lot for people who have and will continue to achieve so much. They even got poor old George on the guestlist.
So down the pub for a couple. Talk of all things musical, OCS, Weller, mod and not insued and many drinks were drunk and many smokes smoked. The band were in the restaraunt next door and again came out and chatted with Ewok and Bertie in tow.
Round 8 and we’re back in the venue and the place was now buzzin in anticipation of Britains best band. A signed album and obligatory Tee later were at he front watching the support who was obviously deprived of love and musical training of any sort because his mix of depression and two chords didn’t mix very well.
Then the real people of OCS turned on stage for Foxy’s Folk Faced and the place went mad. The balcony and floor stamped their feet and clapped in unison to ‘Train’ ‘Its my shadow ‘and ‘Better Day’. My own fave jingles ‘Stay Alive’, ‘Soul Driver’ and ‘Biggest Thing’ were also included in this quite brilliant set. The gave an amazing performance and all the new tracks from NAD went down a storm.
The encore was superlatively unexplainable with Steve playing ‘Mile High City’ on acoustic guitar. Fab! After the gig we went and had a drinky in the bands hotel bar. Thanks to Chris Cradock and Oscar for chatting. A Red Label and Brandy and Coke are waiting a the bar for the next time ye come back.
This Review is by Rob Mac from Ireland - Thanks
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