Ocean Colour Scene biography
Ocean Colour Scene (often abbreviated to OCS) are an English Britpop band formed in Moseley, Birmingham in 1989.
History
Early days (1990-1995)
Ocean Colour Scene were formed after two other local bands called The Boys and Fanatics disbanded. Fanatics released an EP titled
Suburban Love Songs.
Their first single, "Sway", was released in September 1990 in the burgeoning UK indie era. However, when their record label was swallowed up by larger company Phonogram their eponymous début album was remixed, against the band's wishes, to fit in with the Madchester musical trend of the time. The album was largely deemed a failure, and the band fell into dispute with their label. Being in dispute with their label, the band were forced back onto the dole, with no real direction and being only able to write new music, but with no outlet for it.
In 1993, the start of the turnaround occurred. Paul Weller invited the band to support him on some dates of his tour. On the back of these performances, Weller invited Cradock to play on one of his singles, and Fowler to sing on his forthcoming album, Wild Wood. Cradock was asked to play live with Weller on his tour, and the money Cradock made kept the band afloat during this time .
Britpop fame (1995-2000)
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 eventually 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 was released to critical acclaim, containing four hit singles and reached #2 in the UK Albums Chart. They also played at one of the concerts at Knebworth House supporting Oasis in August 1996.
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. In 1998 they headlined their own arena tour in support of Marchin' Already and played three sold out nights at Stirling Castle, Scotland.
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".
Post-britpop (2001-2006)
Having undergone line-up changes, the band continued to record and perform, though they struggled to recapture the success they enjoyed with
Moseley Shoals. 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.
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