A huge nineties Britpop band have revealed they’re heading back on the road for a new acoustic tour.
Ocean Colour Scene members Simon Fowler and Oscar Harrison are teaming up for a run of dates across the country in which they’ll entertain fans with acoustic performances of the group’s biggest hits.
The 14-date tour, billed as Simon and Oscar: The Songs of Ocean Colour Scene, follows a successful year for the band, which saw them embark on a sell-out UK tour in spring, while they played a number of big festivals in the summer.
The tour kicks off on October 2 in Frome before concluding at Bexhill on 25 October.
The two-week run will also include a stop at London’s Islington ᴀssembly Hall on 19 October.
The group, who soared to popularity thanks to the success of 1996’s The Riverboat Song, will also visit venues in Manchester, Cardiff and Leeds.
Nineties Britpop band Ocean Colour Scene have revealed they’re heading back on the road for a new acoustic tour [L-R Steve Cradock, Damon Minchella, Oscar Harrison and Simon Fowler]
Members Simon [R] and Oscar Harrison [L] are teaming up for a run of dates across the country in which they’ll entertain fans with acoustic performances of the group’s biggest hits
Frontman Simon Fowler, 59, said of the upcoming tour: ‘Oscar and I absolutely love playing our acoustic shows, where these fantastic venues help to create an intimacy that’s not dissimilar to an after-hours singalong in a room full of friends.
‘We love having the time and space to chat with everyone, setting the scene before each song. We really can’t wait, and look forward to seeing everyone there.’
Fans can expect to hear acoustic versions of the group’s tracks including The Day We Caught The Train, Traveller’s Tune, The Circle and Hundred Mile High City.
Ocean Colour Scene, formed in Birmingham in 1989, with Simon and drummer Oscar, 59, joining Steve Cradock and Damon Minchella.
After a dispute with their former record label over the direction of their first album, the group were handed a lifeline by Paul Weller in 1993, after he invited them to play some dates on his tour.
Some time later, the band recorded a demo which was send to carious music figures, which ultimately led to Noel Gallagher inviting them to support Oasis on tour in 1995.
The tour attracted the attention of record labels, with OCS eventually signed to MCA Records in late 1995.
Their second album Moseley Shoals went on to have great success, going triple platinum in the UK.
The 14-date tour follows a successful year for the band, which saw them embark on a sell-out UK tour in spring, while they played a number of big festivals in the summer [pictured in 1992]
The group, who soared to popularity thanks to the success of 1996’s The Riverboat Song, will also visit venues in Manchester, Cardiff and Leeds [pictured in 1996]
‘Oscar and I absolutely love playing our acoustic shows, where these fantastic venues help to create an intimacy that’s not dissimilar to an after-hours singalong in a room full of friends’ [Simon in 1996]
The album featured iconic tracks such as You’ve Got It Bad and The Day We Caught, and of course The Riverboat Song – which was heavily championed by Radio 1’s Chris Evans, who even used it as the theme song on TFI Friday.
The group’s success continued with 1997’s album Marchin’ Already, which went on to produce further hits including Hundred Mile High City and Travellers Tune.
In total, OCS bagged seventeen Top 40 singles, which included nine successive Top 20 singles.
Songs For The Front Row, their greatest hits album, was released in 2001.