Ocean Colour Scene

Venue: Sheffield Academy. A matter of a few days after a trip up the A1/M62 to the much fabled Leeds Academy we’re on the road this time across the M18 to the Sheffield Academy outlet. Not quite as pleasing on the eye as the Leeds variety but still usually has a good sound and although the balcony is empty the downstairs is pretty busy and the bars are down a pretty brisk trade. Support: The Moons have the task of providing the pre OCS entertainment and whilst they don’t get the crowd buzzing as such they give a damn good account of themselves and get some warm applause as the majority of those present lend them their ears. They look as retro cool as they sound and it’s a good pick for the OCS crowd, heavily 60’s influenced, similar to say the now departed Rascals, definitely worth a listen. The Band: It is perhaps arguable that OCS have never been the most exciting of bands of live bands, discuss! Well tonight both viewpoints can be true. With 21 years on the clock and nine albums in the can with a perchance for acoustic numbers it ain’t gonna be 100 mile an hour throughout but toss the coin and they have some splendid tunes in the locker. For all their longevity they air plenty from the shiny new long player ‘Saturday’ and it can be truthfully said that the crowd hardly go bananas for it there’s actually plenty to wet the appetite. The brisk whoesque ‘Rockfield’ has all the elements that made OCS the household name all those years ago. The new album takes the long running influences: Weller, Small Faces, Who, Kinks, Northern Soul et all with Fowler’s distinctive 60’s fuelled vocals and produces some damn fine moments. Next single ‘Saturday’ has plenty of grooves whilst ‘Just a little bit of love’ sees them revisit slow, introspective territory but still a fine tune. They are clever to pepper the new stuff with a few golden oldies to keep the faithful well and truly behind them, early on ‘Profit in peace’ becomes a singalong event and ‘The Circle’ gets a decent reception. Fowler is ably assisted on a couple of new tunes, female vocals adding another dimension on ‘Sing children sing’ and the bonzer new single ‘Magic carpet days’ with it’s great beat and old skool feel. However, it all kicks off as we enter the twilight of their set. Craddock has been threatening to get off the leash all night and he’s finally able to break loose during a completely off the hook ‘Hundred mile high city’. It has one of the most recognisable guitar rifts of the Britpop era and Craddock gives the overblown treatment it deserves, that’s the way to end a set! After a good while Fowler reappears alone to do a solo ‘folk song from the last century’ with a glint in his eye, it is sung back word for word. Craddock, Harrison and the others then rejoin Fowler for the obligatory blast through ‘The Riverboat song’, a song which boasts one of the best intro’s of all time, no wonder it’s still a regular on Tv and radio to this day. But the final word is left to ‘The day we caught the train’ which is a real moment and the place goes ballistic, pure indie nostalgia singalong time! When they have finished and doing their band thanks to the crowd they are still singing it right back, Fowler looks genuinely chuffed and grateful. Verdict: One thing you can’t level at OCS is they short change their fans, they are on for nigh on an hour and a half and play plenty of the hits but with a new album hot of the shelves it’s a bit obvious that’s its going to dominate proceedings. Fortunately it’s a good album and most of the songs fit in neatly into the OCS setlist. I’m sure as they prune down the setlist for the summer festival season a few new tracks will fall by the wayside as the cream rises to the surface but for this usual vast OCS tour the band seem to be enjoying airing this new material. As long as the fans favs are still banged out with venom then everyone leaves into the freezing winter air happy, job done.

Shadders scorelines

Atmosphere - 7

Ability - 9

Effort - 8

Ocean Colour Scene value for money - 8

(February 2010)

The Maccabees

Venue: Leeds 02 Academy is the host to the NME awards tour featuring The Maccabees and the ones to watch to 2009 and the picks of the ‘bands to pin your hopes on’ for 2010. The place is packed to the rafters creating a right old buzz in this cool, cool venue. With it’s high ceilings and sympathetic renovations thanks to the Academy group it is perfect for gigs of this ilk. Support: The Big pink, you know the one ‘Dominoes’ with it’s catchy chorus and radio friendly feel? Yeah well they do it last! Prior to this they set their stall out with something not quite as catchy nor as interesting it’s quite a dark and heavy brand of indie dance rock. They look like crap, aside from the drummer that is and oft slip across the ‘line’ into dirge. ‘Dominoes’ is clearly the stand out track and on tonight’s evidence, one hit wonders it is. Bombay Bicycle Club are more like it, a load of skinny awkward looking lads doing awkward, oft twee angular indie guitar pop of the finest order.They connect with the crowd from the onset leading to a cracking atmosphere with even sections of the balcony on their feet and crowd surfing aplenty down in the stalls. They manage to up tempo at will and the crowd follow, throw in the knowledge of a decent tune and the singers ‘unusual’ dancing and you’ve got quite a watch. The Band: The crowd are bouncing by the time The Maccabees wander into the Academy limelight, they are clearly buoyed by the reception and see fit to muller through a blissful masterclass of an indie pop set. The place is electric throughout and Orlando and co are in top form picking the cream from their couple of albums and still find the time to bob in a curve ball or two in there too. ‘I love you better’ is symptomatic of their winning formula; perky guitars, bags of chorus but with that edge. From the debut ‘Colour it in’ comes back to back the poptastic ‘X-ray’ and the monster ‘Precious time’, what a killer duo. To bolster their live sound there’s not just the core five pieces but brass too to give them even more added oomph, works a treat too. Anyway, so back to that curveball then, wish we’d had a couple a quid with William Hill’s on this too as they as they cover I Am Kloot, not quite sure where that’s come from but surreal and very much true. They end with their defining moment so far, ‘No kind words’ deliciously dark but still retaining a pop edge which is no mean trick. At this point the place is absolute mayhem, it’s so frenetic in the balcony that you fear for their safety! They come back for a couple of songs encore, the young crowd has thinned slightly and the atmosphere cant again reach the heights but it’s still a joyous bonus. Verdict: Bombay Bicycle Club take the acclaim in the support band stakes but The Maccabees were really great value with that brass section adding an extra dimension. Fair play to the punters, they loved every second, stella night all round.

Shadders scorelines

Atmosphere - 10

Ability - 9

Effort - 9

The Maccabees value for money – 9

(February 2010)