Ocean Colour Scene at the Roundhouse

 My last gig of the year. It shouldn't have been, as had another scheduled for tonight, but that has been rescheduled to April due to Covid. And indeed this gig felt only about half full, which was probably Covid related.

But I felt I couldn't rely on standing at a gig as my daily exercise. My mate having told me that he was planning cycling 17kms a day until the end of the year to take him to 7000kms for the year inspired/shamed me to get out for a five plus mile walk. On a misty day (well "misty" sounds better than "foggy").

The gig itself had two pleasant surprises. The first being that the support act was Tom Clarke, former lead singer of the Enemy - a band I have seen many times. Indeed back in their heyday they would have sold out the Roundhouse themselves as headliners! Tom was in excellent form - great voice, playing with two new band members and singing slightly changed, largely slower versions of his old songs, mostly from "We'll Live and Die in these Towns" a much underrated album, and band.

The main act were Ocean Colour Scene, which is a band that has somewhat fallen off the radar although they have some 10 albums behind them. But really they had one brief flowering in the nineties when their album Moseley Shoals really took off. They then rather got lost among other Brit Pop bands - they have several links with Oasis and used to tour with them. 

They still retain lead singer Simon Fowler, drummer Oscar Harrison and guitarist Steve Cradock from the original line up, which is not bad for a band gong back over 30 years. To be honest they have aged pretty well, apart Simon who has clearly put on a few pounds and doesn't try to hide it! This has never been a fashionable band. 

They have a number of strengths, one of which is Simon's proper rock voice, strong and with just the right amount of gravel in it.

While lead guitarist Steve Cradock can play proper rock guitar, enough to satisfy my classic rock loving mate with whom I attended this gig. He does some neat little guitar solo spots, but without the self indulgence of prog rock (which my mate John does like....😱)

Now when I see some of these older bands one finds they have a broad range of audience from say young pensioners who followed them as a young band down to teenagers who have found them as a classic retro taste. So, say, New Order have such a following, both very old and very young. Seeing the Smyths, the audience has the same mix - Smiths are cool with indie kids as well as indie pensioners!

OCS haven't travelled, at least on the evidence of last night. There was almost no one there under 45. With one very noticeable exception. This lad.

You may wonder why a band of 50 somethings would have a 17 year old in their midst. Well the answer is that he is Casius Cradock, son of lead guitarist Steve. I guess the more glamorous version of doing work experience in your dad's office! 😀

Interestingly (to me) they started their set off with what in my opinion is their best song, the Riverboat Song, and played You Got it Bad third, which really left only one other "big" number so I knew very early what would finish the gig. The Day I Caught the Train. They didn't really produce a lot of terrifically memorable songs, which is not to say that there wasn't enough to make this a very listenable performance, although I would say the encore was a little undercooked until the swansong.

But I did say they provided two surprises. One was Tom Clarke as support, but the bigger one was a guest appearance on guitar by Paul Weller, the Modfather, ex lead singer of the Jam. The crowd seriously lost it as he appeared, which in a way is a sad reflection on the band - that their guest is bigger than they are. There was good reason for his appearance - Steve Cradock has played often in Paul Weller's band over the years when touring. A seriously good "session musician" for a live act!

So all in all a good night. I circled to the back for the encore allowing a rapid exit when the gig finished from a venue notoriously slow to clear. So here are a couple of shots from the back of a rather singular venue, being an old railway engine works, hence the roundness of the Roundhouse, allowing a whole railway engine to be turned around.