South Coast Entertainment Ocean Colour Scene Review

In a time when bands from the 90's britpop age seem to be making long awaited comebacks, one of the bands that has continued to make music and set high standards has been Ocean Colour Scene. Walking out on stage in orderly fashion following a good rock warm up from support band The moons, the band members line up at the front of the stage guitars in hand. A full crowd at the Bournemouth O2 academy soon began to move their hips as songs like Mrs Maylie and Policemen & Pirates graced the venue.

The swagger which Ocean Colour Scene will have no doubt had throughout their career is easy to see as Simon Fowler walks around stage with an air of dominance. Clearly having fun though, the closeness between the crowd and himself appeared to make Simon feel at ease and the band continue to put smiles on faces with songs like magic Carpet Days, Shadow and Sing Children Sing. The band will hopefully be seen at festivals come the summer and they will be a must see. The Oasis's and Blur's of this world may have ridden on the wave of the Britpop days but Ocean Colour Scene clearly kept it going.

Although songs like Old Pair of Jeans and Rockfield continue to keep the crowd entertained, you can't help but feel that a fair few fans are waiting for an obvious massive ending. The hits that you think of when you hear Ocean Colour Scene are always The Riverboat Song and The Day We Caught The Train. Such huge indie anthems, even now, will make everyone stand up and take notice. Following the initial end to the set with 100 Mile High City, the expected songs appear. And with everyone singing as one, it is The Riverboat Song that takes the initial applause. Performed excellently by the band, Andy Bennett, Steve Cradock, Oscar Harrison and Dan Sealey, along with the ever magnificent Simon Fowler make the song sounds as fresh as the first time it was played. The only way now, obviously, is to end the show with one of the best sing along tracks of all. The Day we Caught The Train reached number 4 in the UK charts in 1996 and its appeal was nationwide. For a new fan or a long time fan, the feeling was the same and musicgoers left afterwards with huge grins even with the day of work ahead.

The musical standard produced by this band can influence all music lovers and the age difference in the audience was clear to see as young teenagers and middle aged adults groove together. This in itself speaks wonders of a band still producing flawless, catchy music.