Thom caught up with Simon Fowler from Ocean Colur Scene to talk about their long time in the music industry, Chris Evans, Current album 'Saturday' and much more.

Thanks for taking the time out to do this.
That’s all right.

Have you been before? At any point in your extensive career?
Hundreds of times. I used to live in Corfe Mullen at one point of my life, for about a year when I was five, and we used to come on holiday to Sandbanks. Before it became Millionaire’s row – I went down there this afternoon, what the fuck have they done to that? What’s that house made out of sweets all about? Called Lucy’s or something, looks like it’s made out of sweets. Appalling.

So. Ocean Colour Scene. You were signed, well, over twenty years ago now.
When we started there was a record company in waiting ready for us to make an album. A local Birmingham label. So yeah we started actually signed up. Which was strange really, but we’d done apprenticeships before in other bands.

And you’re still going strong now. Obviously it hasn’t been plain sailing all the time, for instance when you were forced back onto the dole. When that happened were you tempted to just pack it all in?
No we just kept smoking. And recording. That’s exactly what we did. And that’s what other people don’t do, and that’s why they’re not around. We were in the studio most days. For four years. It was fantastic. And that’s where we came up with a majority of Mosely Shoals. What’s green and gets you high? A giro.

I suppose you could call yourselves veterans now…
Well yes we are to a certain extent – but no, U2 are older than us, Weller’s older than us, and then above them you’ve got The Who and McCartney, so we’re still putting our applications into the club.

Has the music industry changed much during your time?
No I don’t think so really. People say it and it’s easy to say but what’s changed is the medium that things go out in. And I don’t really understand those mediums because I’ve never used a computer. So downloads and all that mean sod all to me, really. But it’s still record labels, promotional stuff, radio plugs and tv shows.

The nineties treated you well, four consecutive top ten albums, and even after that they were top 40 – is it challenging to put out consistently good albums?
I think we’re getting better. We played a few gigs last week and, yeah, I think we’re getting better.

The Gallaghers for example have said they think you’re the cream of the crop.
We were just around at the right time really. We were a folk rock band who got lucks, when Oasis kicked down a door that meant that kind of music, which we’d been playing all our fucking lives, was not acceptable pop music. Before they came along, if someone asked you if you liked the Beatles, you’d have to say “yes, but…” and justify it. We found ourselves in the zeitgeist of that time because we fitted in kind of. And because we were mates with them who were mates with Paul (Weller,) that kind of got us in the gang but the reality is that Chris Evans broke us through radio play.

Do you think you owe a lot to Chris Evans, Paul Weller, etc?
Yeah I do, yeah. We gave them a laugh, I know that.

The new album is your ninth – are you pleased with it?
Yeah, I mean you always listen back to things and think, “oh I could have sung that better” but I think this is the best collection of songs we’ve put together since Marchin’ Already. The other albums it’s like, “oh we don’t play that any more,” but there are seven songs off of the new album in the set tonight. And the other seven we could have just as easily played them.

When was it recorded?
In the Summer. May, June, sometime. In the Rockfield.

Has the recording process changed much?
Well, I strum a song, he makes it sound like Ocean Colour Scene, and then I go to the pub with Dan. That’s the Gatehouse. In the song Rockfield, it starts with “I’ll meet you in the Gatehouse” and well, that’s how the whole recording process started. I was driving down in my car and Dan was driving down, he’s in his mini I’m in my Jag – so I get there five minutes quicker. So I told him to meet me at the Gatehouse, a big blue pub on the bridge over the Monnow, and that became our HQ. I bang out a song and then, there’s not a lot for me to do in studios. I’m technically useless, a complete Luddite, and when I said I haven’t used a computer, I really haven’t used a computer. And then err, yeah we were in the countryside for six weeks it was really good.

How does the release of this album compare with the release of older albums?
I don’t know, erm. I’ll tell you what I do know. Magic Carpet Days was put out as a download thing and I don’t even know whether that charted. I don’t give a toss. I mean it’s not a record is it. We were up at a radio thing in Manchester the other day, and the guy said they don’t refer to them as singles, they refer to them as “focus tracks.” And I can see exactly what that means. It’s irrelevant, a single, unless it sells a huge amount. So that’s one different thing. But the album’s in the shops, it’s quite exciting.

What are your favourite tracks off of Saturday?
They keep changing. I really like “Village Life.”

That’s my favourite.
Oh is it? Yeah. What’s come out great live is “Sing Children Sing” actually. We’ve got Emma doing backing vocals, so that should be good. I like “Fell In Love On That Street Again”

What do you think your favourite album is?
B-Sides, Seasides and Freerides – because it’s more about me. (Laughs) It’s all the acoustic side of things so it’s all me.

I suppose this is pushing it but is there a favourite song out of everything you’ve done?
I don’t know. “The Day We Caught The Train” is quite good. That bought me a house. So I’m quite fond of that one, but it changes all the time. Steve’s favourite is “Fleeting Mind.”

When you were growing up, who were your key influences?
The Beatles, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchel. All the classic sort of stuff really. But it all sort of comes back to Neil Young and The Beatles.

If you could bring back anyone from the dead to perform with, who would it be?
Jesus Christ… …what a stupid question.

I thought that was the answer, It would have been a good answer. Me and Jesus doing an open mic night, why not?
(Laughs.) My own personal Jesus.

You can listen to any Ocean Colour Scene record and know straight away who it is. A lot of bands have a tendency to go off and try new things…
We just do stuff. When you start a song, that’s a starting point and it’s up to you where it ends. We don’t think, “oh better add some electro” or “a bit of Kraftwerk,” we don’t think that heavily about it. We just do it.

You’ve got Mosely Shoals Records as well.
I don’t know, have we?

Yeah…
I don’t know. I think Steve put his album out on that didn’t he.

Yeah I was wondering whether it was just OCS related stuff or whether you’d signed anyone else?
Oh God no, it’s hard enough dealing with one band let alone a load of kids with big ideas. That’s the surest way to lose a fortune. I think. It’s either set up a record label or buy a football team.

When was the last time you toured Britain?
Last year? Probably. I don’t know. If it wasn’t then it was the year before.

You’re obviously well-loved here in Britain – how do you fair abroad? Have you ventured far?
Oh yeah. Back in 1991 we did an eight week tour of the states. That was a screamer. With The House of Love, and a band called Catherine Wheel. House of Love were amazing but, they were all about our ages now, and they were all totally wiped out from consumption. They were on the verge of not wanting to be together. And we were the new kids. We bonded with them incredibly – eight weeks on a coach, 28 US cities, several people were arrested, stayed in prison, I ended up in hospital in Chicago, that was fun. I was the only guy there who wasn’t in the Thriller video! Extraordinary. Jesus Christ. And we did Japan; Japan was good for us actually, ‘96 that was great. Spain has been good to us. And we’re going around Europe after this tour. And then we’re going to India, doing these Hard Rock Café gigs in India. We’ve just come back from Dubai, did Japan and South Korea last year… So yeah you know, kept our oar in.

You’re playing Isle of Wight Festival.
Yes we are, apparently, does that count as abroad? There was this boy in my class actually when I was about nine, and he used to tell us that he went abroad. And it was the Isle of Wight!

Are you playing any other festivals?
I think we’re hoping for T in the Park – I suppose we’re hoping for Glastonbury but everybody’s trying for that, it’s the 40th Anniversary. We did V last year. I don’t know, there’s about 280 festivals now aren’t there, it’s crazy. So I don’t know. We did Oxygen last year over in Ireland, that was good. So I suppose we’re hoping for T in the Park. And Glastonbury.

You’re at the start of your tour, you played Oxford last night, how was that?
It was all right, I thought the crowd were incredibly dull. We were all right, a bit tentative.

The O2 there is a lot smaller than this one.
Yeah. This is a beautiful place. That was like a room we’d play in before anyone had heard of us.

And then alas, my time was cut short. Boo hoo.

Interview By Thom Curtis