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Feature: Ocean Colour Scene

• 7th Feb 2010

Ocean Colour Scene are back with their ninth studio album 'Saturday', celebrating 21 years of the band's existence, Saturday offers a blend of fresh new OCS tracks as if Simon Fowler, Steve Craddock and the boys have never been away.

Glasswerk caught up with Steve Craddock from the band ahead of their sold out gig at Liverpool's O2 Academy.

Q. So Steve, ninth main studio album celebrating 21 years of OCS – still going strong eh?

It is the ninth main studio album yeah, it seems quite strange really it certainly doesn't feel like 21 years but it is.

Q. Does it feel so long ago when you first started out in your original band the ‘The Boys’ how bad was it being on the dole at that time trying to get a deal…was it a case of sending EP’s out that got you first noticed?

It’s hard for any band to make it, really hard work. Was sort of 6 years of hard work from 89 to 95 to our main first success of Moseley Shoals. It’s not a great feeling on the dole! – by the time we were just coming out Nirvana were big and it wasn’t initially a fairytale as people make out.'

Q. Steve you went off to do solo thing the ‘The Kundalini Target’ – what was that like?

We hadn’t done anything for two years and I guess I was getting inpatient really

Q. Did you ever have to take a step back when you felt perhaps you may not be getting there?

No I think I can speak for the entire band that we were totally committed, you have to weather any kind of moody days

Q. Do have large parts of time off from each other from between albums etc and when you write do you get together and go off somewhere quiet?

Yeah we do have large parts of time off between but when we get back together we go off somewhere quiet to get ideas down, record

Q. So brand new album ‘Saturday’ recorded in Rockfield Studios – weren’t you going to call the album Rockfield?

’Yeah we were going to, first it was going to be called ‘Blue Sky Drinking’ then ‘Rockfield’ and we settled on ‘Saturday’. Rockfield studios is in Monmouthshire in Wales, countryside thing really. Quite a legendary studios though Bohemian Rhapsody was recorded there, the Roses stuff and The Verve stuff also.

Q. Saturday sounds like an enjoyable album that you really took pleasure in putting together, still sounding as fresh, is that what you wanted to achieve, a sense of celebration?

Yeah that’s what we wanted, we brought in producer Gavin Monaghan who helped us get what we wanted sonically.

Q. Is it right that Paulo Nutini appears on ‘Saturday’?

’He appeared on a version of ‘Saturday’.

Q .What are your favourite tracks off the new album?

’I really like ‘Harry Kidnap’, ‘Mrs. Maylie’, ‘Just A Little Bit of Love’ and the single ‘Magic Carpet Days’.

Q Any plans for summer gigs/festivals

Yeah we are playing The Isle of Wight Festival which I am excited about and also a festival in Wigan. We are also playing in South Korea and Japan. I am looking forward to going to India as we are going across to open all the Hard Rock Cafes out there.

Q Any hints for up and coming bands?

A band should be working all the time 12 hours a day, get rehearsing, always work on the tracks. You gotta wait to get that optimum recording but there’s no right or wrong way. There’s a load of wankers who make it and good bands that don’t.

Later that night Ocean Colour Scene took to the stage to rapturous applause. Fowler, Craddock and the band were on fine form rattling through some of their impressive new tracks with highlights on ’Mrs Maylie’ Craddock warping around the stage with the finest guitar skills you will probably ever see. Fowler’s voice as piercing and unique as ever.

’Policemen & Pirates’ had the packed Liverpool crowd hanging off every word. Also impressive live and a more notably well received track from the new album was single ’Magic Carpet Days’ which had an infectious guitar riff and a familiar sing a long chorus. One of the most treasured songs of the night was ‘It’s My Shadow’ taken off the band’s breakthrough album Moseley Shoals. Fowler’s haunting vocals reverberated around the O2 Academy.

‘Sing Children Sing’ another track off the new album impressed. ’Profit & Peace’, ’The Circle’ and ’The Riverboat Song’ probably made the crowds voices run out of steam as the roof was blown off. If those belters weren’t enough, OCS also treated Liverpool to new track ‘Saturday’.

After smashing through even more tracks the band came on to an encore after fans beckoned the band back on stage by chanting ‘OCS, OCS’. The masterful ‘Robin Hood’ appeared all lights on Fowler with every single person singing along. Majestic.

The band still had time to finish an exhausting but pulsating set by inviting Liverpool legends The Real People on stage who helped a euphoric crowd sing The Beatles ‘Day Tripper’.

One of the best gigs seen in Liverpool for some time Ocean Colour Scene are not only still going strong they are teaching a few of the new comers a thing or too. A most triumphant of gigs! Go buy the band’s new album ’Saturday’ now!

www.oceancolourscene.com

Photo by Steve Goudie -www.stoneimagesrocks.com