Ocean Colour Scene return to Scotland for summer dates

Scotsman

17-06-2025

The band will play at Queens Park in Glasgow on 29th June as part of the Summer Nights on The Southside series of concerts, before returning to play at Discovery Festival at Dundee's Slessor Gardens on 25th July.
Joining Ocean Colour Scene as special guests in Glasgow will be Glasvegas, P.P. Arnold and Ben Walker, while The Fratellis, White Lies and Cammy Barnes will be the band's special guests in Dundee .
After forming in Birmingham in 1989, Ocean Colour Scene firmly established themselves as one of the UK's biggest bands, enjoying nine successive Top 20 singles, including The Circle, Traveller's Tune, Hundred Mile High City, The Riverboat Song, Profit In Peace and The Day We Caught The Train from the Top 5 albums 'Moseley Shoals', 'Marchin' Already' and 'One From The Modern'.
Currently enjoying an extensive run of summer shows and festival dates after their hugely successful tour in the spring - which included sold-out shows in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dunfermline - Ocean Colour Scene are on the form of their lives.
'I'm loving it,' says Simon Fowler, vocalist and primary songwriter in Ocean Colour Scene as he considers his band's ongoing tour of the UK and Ireland. 'When we started off in Leeds a few months ago we had 30 gigs ahead of us and I was like 'Jesus, how will my voice hold up?' Well, it's not only held up but I'm singing better than ever before. We sailed through those thirty gigs and now we've got a summer of festivals and touring ahead of us and – you know what? - this is as good as it gets. Ocean Colour Scene are playing as well as we ever have and the audiences are just fantastic.'
'The audiences have been incredible,' agrees guitarist Steve Cradock. 'We played to over 60,000 people over our April-May tour and the enthusiasm with which they welcome the band just fires us up. We love to play and when we have an audience who are singing along, well, it inspires us.'
Fowler and Cradock speak with evident joy, having helmed Ocean Colour Scene (with drummer Oscar Harrison and a selection of side musicians) now for 35 years.
'We're veterans,' says Fowler, 'and we haven't issued a new album in twelve years so we really appreciate the fact that our fans still want to come and see us. Now I see teenagers in our audience – admittedly, they're mostly the kids of people who first came to see us when they were teenagers – but they seem to be digging us. We're obviously doing something right!'
'Everyone in the band seems to have stepped up a gear,' says Cradock. 'We're playing really well and this puts us in good stead for the summer festivals where you have huge audiences and really want to make an impression on them.'
Steve then adds, 'There's a quiet confidence that allows us to deliver. A nice confidence. The band are in a good place right now and I think our audiences are responding to this.'
'We just played to 10,000 people in Birmingham,' says Fowler with an evident sense of disbelief. '10,000! And then two nights at Brixton Academy! I don't know how to explain why so many people are enthusiastic about coming out to see us. I think Oasis put something in the water! Bands are back!' He laughs then adds, 'Actually, our tour tickets went on sale before Oasis announced their reunion so I can't give them credit for this.'
Mention of Oasis makes me enquire as to whether the summer of 2025 is feeling like the summer of 1996.
'It does,' says Cradock. 'It's like the form of indie rock that we all started out playing is back and popular again. The Oasis reunion is a good thing. Good for Noel and good for Liam and good for rock and roll.'
'The first time we saw Oasis play was at the Jug Of Ale in Moseley – I'd met Noel through Paul Weller and he mentioned that they'd be playing there and I told him 'that's like our office'. So we went along to see them and they certainly had something. They weren't famous yet but you could tell it wouldn't be long before they broke through. In the dressing room I got to meet Liam and I immediately thought 'you are the coolest guy I've ever met'. You know what? He still is. We went out on their first proper tour, playing support …' He pauses and laughs at the memory. 'Good times.'
A friendship was forged on that tour and Ocean Colour Scene would support Oasis at their historic (and huge) Knebworth concerts in August 1996.
'It was an amazing event,' recalls Cradock. 'Things had been building towards it ever since the Stone Roses played Spike Island – which we all went to. The Roses opened up the genre. As did The La's, another fantastic band. Then Oasis arrived and suddenly indie was the new mainstream and there we all were having huge hit records. Amazing really.'
He pauses to reflect on playing Knebworth then says, 'Excuse me if I sound blasé but I can't recall much about Knebworth as we were touring or recording solidly for two whole years and Knebworth was in the middle of that. I know we played to 125,000 people – Oasis's audience – and then the next night we played to 1000 people, our audience.'
'My knees were shaking,' says Fowler. 'I'd never been on stage in front of such a huge audience before. I borrowed a camcorder as we were about to go on stage and walked up to the front of the stage and filmed the audience and they gave me this huge cheer! I remember that and coming off stage 45 minutes later, but nothing else. It was a blur.'
Where Oasis split bitterly for many years, Fowler and Cradock remain close friends and obviously enjoy each other's company.
'When I first met Steve he was playing bass,' says Fowler. 'Now he's one of Britain's greatest guitarists. I admire him so much because he's so focused on playing well and developing as a musician. It was his Dad who said to both of us 'you two need to form a band' and he was right. We've never looked back since then.'
Cradock praises Fowler's skills as a singer and songwriter, noting that he's looking forward to Simon presenting the band with new songs at some point.
'I have about half a dozen decent songs right now,' notes Fowler, 'but that's not enough for an album. So I need to keep writing. It's not like the old days where I'd write two songs in a night because we were going into the studio in the morning.'
Another change from the old days is this: Fowler no longer travels on the band's tour bus.
'No chance. I have a driver these days and sleep in a hotel. I like my comforts and being cooped up with a bunch of middle aged men – none of whom I fancy! (he laughs) – isn't my thing. And if I did go back on the bus I'd probably fall out of my bunk in the middle of the night. So, no thanks.'
Ocean Colour Scene are one of Britain's most popular live bands, which is appropriate as the band now focus solely on touring the UK and Ireland.
'I'd quite like to play again in South America and Japan,' says Cradock, 'but it's not down to me. Our audience is here so it makes sense we play to them.'
'We once went to Australia and played to about 800 people,' says Fowler, 'and you know where they were all from? Britain! We might as well have just stayed at home and not flown that huge distance. And the US is just too tough – unless you have a hit single. We actually love touring Britain and Ireland, so it suits us that we concentrate on these islands.'
When asked where there favourite place to play is both men answer 'Scotland.' They then add 'Ireland' with Fowler noting, 'I like everything about the Irish, the way they live, their humour, their music. It's a great place.'
Cradock states, 'The further north we perform the audiences just get crazier. And I mean that in a good sense – they don't worry about the weather, they really come out to hear the band and have a good time.' He then says, 'Liverpool and Manchester are both magic music cities. There's something about Liverpudlian musicians, and not just the famous ones, they really have this mystical bent. I love it.'
'One of the joys of my life is getting to know this country inside out,' says Fowler. 'We tour all over and this means I get to stop where ever we are, look at the galleries and churches, go for a walk, get a taste of the place. I'm blessed that I have a job where I get paid to travel all over the UK. Really blessed.'
Cradock spends even more time on the road than Fowler as he plays guitar in Paul Weller's band and, until the death of Terry Hall in 2022, was The Specials' guitarist.
'I was fortunate to be able to step into Roddy Radiation's boots and play with The Specials,' he says, 'such a great British band. And I love Paul. I grew up a fan of The Jam and The Style Council, so feel really blessed to have him as a mate and play in his band.' He then adds, 'I've just produced Paul's forthcoming album – my first time in the producer's seat with Paul and I really enjoyed the experience.'
Ocean Colour Scene are a people's band and, as they prepare to play across Britain and Ireland, both Fowler and Cradock state they are looking forward to rock and rolling across the summer.
'I'm grateful to all the people who turn up to see us,' says Cradock.
'Being on stage is a joy,' says Fowler.
On that note these happy, gracious men who helm one of the great British bands say goodbye and head off in their separate directions.
Tickets for Ocean Colour Scene dates at Queens Park in Glasgow on 29th June and Slessor Gardens in Dundee on 25th July are available from www.oceancolourscene.com
2 . Contributed
Ocean Colour Scene lead singer Simon Fowler Photo: Submitted Photo Sales
3 . Contributed
Ocean Colour Scene guitarist Steve Cradock Photo: Submitted Photo Sales
4 . Contributed
Ocean Colour Scene (l-r): Ray Meade, Simon Fowler, Oscar Harrison and Steve Cradock Photo: Submitted Photo Sales