Ocean Colour Scene

This four-piece combo formed in suburban Solihull in the West Midlands in 1989 around singer and ex-journalist Simon Fowler, laconic guitarist Steve Cradock, agreeable bassist Damon Minchella and strong, silent-type drummer Oscar Harrison – four freshly scrubbed, modishly garbed lads in their twenties.

After various Ocean Colour Scenies had apprenticed themselves in The Fanatics, who released the Suburban Love Songs EP for Chapter 22, guitarist Cradock was prised away from his uncle’s painting and decorating firm and forced to learn the chords to Billy Robert’s Hey Joe.

Local entrepreneur John Mostyn, who managed Fine Young Cannibals and Alison Moyet with his partner Jonathan Hughes, promptly signed the tune-saturated quartet to the !Phffft label to release their debut single, Sway, a hypnotic slice of Eastern Turkish taffy.

The single received rave reviews and scored impressive sales, but when Phonogram swallowed up their label, their eponymous début album was remixed, against the band’s wishes, to fit in with the baggy/indie-dance musical trend of the time. The album was largely deemed a failure.

In 1993, Paul Weller invited the band to support him on some dates of his tour. On the back of these performances, Weller invited guitarist Steve Cradock to play on one of his singles, and vocalist Simon Fowler to sing on his album Wild Wood. Cradock was asked to play live with Weller on his tour, and the money Cradock made allowed the band to keep paying rent for a studio.

The band recorded a demo that was sent to various industry figures. After hearing this tape, Noel Gallagher invited the band to play with Oasis on their 1995 tour. This support slot brought OCS to the attention of more record labels, and in late 1995, the band signed with MCA Records.

With the explosion of the Britpop scene, OCS’s music became nationally and internationally known. Their second album Moseley Shoals contained four hit singles and reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart.

Marchin’ Already, the follow-up to Moseley Shoals, went to #1 in the UK Albums Chart, displacing Oasis’ Be Here Now at the top of the charts in 1997.

One from the Modern was released in 1999, and peaked in the UK Albums Chart at #4. The record spawned three top 40 singles – Profit in Peace, So Low and July.

After splitting with bassist Damon Minchella, the band continued to record and perform. Releases in 2001 (Mechanical Wonder), 2003 (North Atlantic Drift), 2005 (A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad), and 2007 (On the Leyline) continued the trend of releasing new material every two years.

Simon Fowler
Vocals
Steve Cradock
Guitar
Damon Minchella
Bass
Oscar Harrison 
Drums
Raymond Meade
Bass

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