Live Review

Oceansize – KoKo, Camden, London.

• 3rd Oct 2010

I have to come clean from the outset and admit that I am an Oceansize fan and have followed them diligently around the country (and even further afield) for quite a few years now. Personally I have never understood why they aren’t bigger than they are and why – although attracting large and enthusiastic crowds to their own gigs – the crowds at festivals or at gigs where they are a support act tend to dwindle or look distinctly nonplussed. It is possible that the intricate layering of their songs requires a second listen before they pull you in, but pull you in they will as Oceansize are clearly a bunch of very talented musicians who push the boundaries of their genre, using Tool-esque metal and many other influences (even from modern jazz, such as the band Tortoise) to create a unique sound.

Koko is a great looking venue and the band said they were genuinely very excited to headline it as they opened with two tracks from the new album, “Self Preserved While the Bodies Float Up”. I was quite surprised that the crowd seemed to be more knowledgeable of the new tracks than the old, but the band have obviously made some new fans along the way.

“Frames” is probably the album which has made the littlest impression on me, so “Unfamiliar” and “Trail of Fire” washed over me slightly. However, I was soon tapping my foot energetically to “New Pin”, an almost uncharacteristically cheerful, sing-a-long type track from the second album, “Everyone Into Position”, which was followed by the graceful anthem, “Music for a Nurse”, which never fails to get the crowd swaying along.

The band then continued to showcase their new album with tracks such as the frenetic “It’s My Tail and I’ll Chase It If I Want To”, which had a punky edge to it, and “Silent/Transparent”, which seemed to show the hitherto unseen influence of country/Americana music creeping into its rolling, drive-time sounds. While I enjoyed the new tracks, I’ll be sad if Oceansize turn their backs on their earlier, darker, more angsty sound; with it’s crazy time signatures, incredibly powerful drumming, screaming lyrics from vocalist Mike Vennart and multi-layered, gut-grabbingly heavy guitar riffs. It may be this unpredictable, heavy, hard to label sound that has denied them commercial success, but it is that intelligent, risk-taking, genre-crossing sound that made them many of their early fans who were craving something a bit different. However, I will withhold judgment until after several concentrated listenings of the new album.

The excellent “Paper Champion” came next; a song that starts off with a simple, melodic riff and hushed lyrics and then makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up with an wonderful, elongated build up and crashing guitar finale.

“Ornament/The Last Wrongs” is another anthemic song which has a certain dreamy quality to it, but it has to be said that Oceansize don’t struggle to sound epic and there are several songs that would make fine concert finishers, this one included. However, the band follow tradition and end on “Women Who Love Men Who Love Drugs” from their first album, which was a welcome and familiar, dare I say classic, Oceansize track. This is another song with a beautifully melodic introduction which then gathers momentum and builds into a cacophony of over-laid guitar sounds, which eventually fade out one by one – a fittingly epic end to another great Oceansize gig.