Its 1996, you could pick up Melody Maker for a mere £1.60 and read about real music by real writers who weren’t afraid to voice their real opinions, music was saturated with a feeling that there was a united front on the music scene…okay things weren’t quite something out of a Hovis advert but music back then was pretty damn good and Ocean Colour Scenes (OCS) with their album Moseley Shoals, were at the forefront of this.
One of the most memorable opening tracks of the 90s, The Riverboat Song was an explosion that led on to what was simply a masterpiece of an album. Fifteen years on and OCS are still selling out tour dates with their recent return to touring Moseley Shoals in its entirety.
One of the wonders of Moseley Shoals was the different aspects the album took, it reminded you of the fun-loving summer times with-The Day We Caught the Train, an album that you listened to on your own and contemplated the worries of a teenager with-The Downstream, it was and still is an album that remains firmly of my favourite albums of all times.
Fast-forward 15 years since the success of Moseley Shoals and Cardiff’s Student Union is awash with indie kids…or more people now in their late 20s and early 30s, coming together to celebrate the album that accounted for such an important soundtrack to a generation that is now faced with artists that have about as much longevity as Lady Ga Ga does without out saying something hideous and unimportant. Thia gig is explosive as the crowd embrace the lyrical genius of One for the Road and the Small Faces influence of The Circle. Champion riffs from You’ve Got it Bed a ten minute interval and OCS are back on to serenade the crowd with some B-sides classics such as Robin Hood.
Steve Cradock knows he can sell out shows, knows that Moseley Shoals would make a few quid but there’s no indication of this, OCS are a humble band who still play with the enthusiasm that they did back in the 90s. The impact of the gig is felt by all, found memories are shared, all hail OCS a band that will leave another generation besotted with the classis and timeless melodies of Moseley Shoals.
Ocean Colour Scene celebrate their success with a deluxe re-issue of Moseley Shoals out now via Universal Records.
Emma Murphy 15/02/2011
