Reinvigorated Ocean Colour Scene play East Sussex date

They could have disappeared, says guitarist Steve Cradock, not so long ago during the dark days of the pandemic, but a year or so ago they got new management, they got a new agent, they're trying different things and they are now back on track. They started back in 1989; now they are re-energised for 2023.

“The first year of the lockdown was pretty amazing,” Steve says. “It was great weather and I remember my lad coming back from school and saying that the school was going to close down. His was the generation that didn't have to do any exams but for that generation it was quite hard in some ways having spent the school year waiting for those exams. But basically we spent the summer in the garden and it was just fantastic. But once we got to the next year I just found it unbearable. I found it very, very difficult and Ocean Colour Scene were going through a turbulent time at that point. I was not sure if we were going to continue so it was all a bit strange really. But it's all been resolved now. We could have stopped but we were lucky enough to get Alan McGee managing us and he brought a different focus to it and we're now back again. It’s strange when you're trying to find direction and you haven't really got it but now we're back and we're good.

“We started in 89 and we just got together from two separate groups, and I had always wanted to play with Simon (Fowler). I think his band was collapsing and we chose a new name. It was the time of groups like The Stone Roses, and in fact we all went to see The Stone Roses in Birmingham and they just seemed to bring a big collective to it all and that was the spur but it was still kind of weird for a time. It wasn't until 93-94 that we started to get half decent and then we did some great albums. I think what really happened was we found our sound. We'd been doing it long enough by then to have finally found it.” Nearly three and a half decades later, they are still at it: “I think you've got to be good friends for that to happen. When you are a group of mates together you can laugh through all the adversities and all the things that happen.” Alongside that, for 30 years this year, Steve has been playing in Paul Weller’s band: “And I just think that that is something to be grateful for. I love Paul and I've always loved him and I love his music and it's just great to be working with him still especially when you think that he could have the pick of anyone he wanted. I just don't know how to describe it. It's a fantastic feeling especially when you think that he's had hits now in five different decades but the quality of his music is just amazing.”