Indie
Interview: Steve Cradock reveals Ocean Colour Scene's plans for new music, a potential reunion with Oasis at Knebworth and his respect for Paul Weller
Ocean Colour Scene guitarist Steve Cradock discusses the band's upcoming tour, the possibility of new music, Oasis' reunion, Paul Weller and his plans to tour with his family.
When Britpop swept across Britain in the mid-1990s, Ocean Colour Scene were right at the heart of the movement, delivering the kind of timeless guitar anthems that would soundtrack a generation. Alongside Oasis, Blur, Pulp and Suede, the Birmingham band became one of the defining acts of the decade, with their infectious blend of mod, soul and classic British rock producing some of the era's most enduring songs.
Formed in Birmingham in 1989 from two other groups disbanding, the Boys and Fanatics, Ocean Colour Scene initially struggled to find their place in an industry increasingly dominated by alternative rock, but everything changed when they found their musical identity and began working with Oasis. Guitarist Steve Cradock, singer Simon Fowler, bassist Damon Minchella and drummer Oscar Harrison became firm favourites on the emerging Britpop circuit, with their early association with the Gallagher brothers helping introduce them to a much wider audience. They supported Oasis on their first major tour, witnessed their extraordinary rise and eventually joined them for the historic Knebworth concerts in August 1996, performing on the first night.
Their breakthrough arrived in spectacular fashion with 1996's second album Moseley Shoals, which reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and spawned a run of classic singles including The Riverboat Song, The Day We Caught The Train and You've Got It Bad. The Riverboat Song became particularly synonymous with the band after television presenter Chris Evans adopted it as the theme for his hugely popular Channel 4 music and chat show TFI Friday. Evans was a passionate supporter of Ocean Colour Scene, regularly championing their music and giving them a prominent platform at a time when British guitar bands were dominating popular culture.
Their success continued with 1997's Marchin' Already, which went straight to number one, beating Oasis' Be Here Now to the top of the charts, while 1999's One From The Modern completed an extraordinary run of commercial success. Throughout this period, Steve Cradock was also establishing himself as one of Britain's most respected guitarists, developing a long-standing musical partnership with Paul Weller that has seen him play in the Modfather's touring band for decades and contribute to his solo albums.
Now, 30 years after Moseley Shoals helped make Ocean Colour Scene household names, the band are celebrating the landmark album with a major anniversary tour. Their loyal following remains strong, with younger audiences discovering the music alongside those who grew up with it.
Ahead of the celebrations, Cradock talks to Contact Music about the possibility of Ocean Colour Scene returning to Knebworth with Oasis, revealing that he has already contacted Noel Gallagher and Liam's fiancée Debbie Gwyther to explore the possibility of supporting them again. He also discusses whether a new Ocean Colour Scene album could be on the horizon, why he believes Paul Weller is anything but underrated in the pantheon British rock greats, and the unexpected songs and surprises the band have in store for fans revisiting Moseley Shoals live...
Contact Music: You’ve got this huge tour coming up, it must be a thrill to know that you've still got this huge fan base out there after 30 years?
Steve Cradock: We've got an amazing fan base, which we're very grateful for. But I guess the reason I'm doing this is because we're trying to sell more tickets, right? Call me sceptical.
We've got an amazing and loyal fan base, we've played every year since we started. There's not many bands that have done that, I don't think.
I was going to say, of course, there's this newfound love and nostalgia for the ‘90s with a lot of younger fans, you must see a lot of the younger fans who've grown up with your music coming to these gigs now…
Yeah, it's brilliant. We did some summer shows and it was really evident that there was a different generation coming to see us play. I'm sure it's probably down to the Oasis effect, I don't know. But young people are finding out about the ‘90s, I suppose, and there's still bands from the ‘90s playing. It's good.
The Oasis effect is definitely a thing, but also I think you have to respect the quality of the music, because I think those ‘90s bands, of which Ocean Colour Scene is one of them, are getting the same sort of respect as the bands that you loved from the ‘60s and ‘70s…
I agree with you.
We tour every year. That's kind of not a new thing really. We've always had a great fan base, from the new century when the light had gone off, whatever you want to call our period, we always still had this group of people who would come and see us play and that’s what has maintained us going as a group.
You have that mod connection, you are popular in the mod community…
I don’t know. We’re not a mod band, and I'm not a mod. The Stone Roses were mods to me. Whether they are or not, it doesn't matter really. The casual thing followed through and I think maybe we've got people who dig us like that. Are there mods around still? Having said that, there's a new mod thing going on in London, isn't there? I see it with groups like The Molotovs, they're very sharp, you know, we're not that sharp, really.
Credit: Brian Sweeney
In terms of these gigs, obviously they're going to be great, but, you know, I think a lot of people like myself would love a new Ocean Colour Scene record. Is that a possibility?
Yeah, it could happen. We've got a few things down, but I guess it's down to Simon writing some songs. We've got a couple of songs that are kind of close to being ready to be released. We could put a single out, definitely. We've got a couple of great tunes, but as an album I'm not sure. Simon needs to be writing the tunes for it.
With the way albums are consumed now, is there a slight reluctance to put something new out?
No, we're not reluctant to. We just haven’t got the songs. You need songs for an album, don't you? So until that day comes, but there's no reason why we shouldn't. We might be better off just putting singles out, I don't know. Here's the thing, right, is that people like the albums from that era and it’s got a certain nostalgia about it and it's got memories of that time. If you put new music out, it's not going to hold any of those things and I don't know if people retain albums in the same way these days. People don't listen to albums in the same way, I don't think. But it’s not about that, you do it because you want to do it and we would all like to do an album. Definitely. So, you know, fingers crossed.
You mentioned your albums of that period, and one of my favourite records of yours is the B-sides collection, which I've played to death over the years, can fans expect a few of those on this upcoming tour?
I think we're going to be playing The Clock Struck 15 Hours Ago. Obviously, we're playing Moseley Shoals, we’re not gonna play it in the format of the album, otherwise the gig will be over in three songs, or otherwise reach a pinnacle. We’re going to do a few songs we've never done before. Hopefully we're going to do a song called The Waves that was on the One from the Modern album, which we've tried once before, but has never been a success. So I'm hoping we can do a few songs that we don't normally play live. That’s the plot.
Talking about new music, obviously away from the band you've been collaborating with Paul Weller for decades, and he's a man who never stands still and is always releasing records. Is there anything in the pipeline with Paul? A new album, potentially?
No. Not that I'm aware of. I produced the Find El Dorado album that came out in 2025 but I'm not aware of anything else at the moment.
Weller did say after his last tour and album that he might take a break from releasing a new album, is that a genuine thing?
He did some shows this year, some summer shows and he didn’t tour the year before so I think he's just having a well-deserved break. He's chilling with his family, he's good. I saw him the other day at a Liam Bailey gig and he's in great form.
You might agree or disagree with this. I think he deserves perhaps more respect in the pantheon of British musicians. For me, he's like the British Bob Dylan…
Respect from who?
Amongst the wider rock fan base and music journalists…
I think everyone loves him. Most people I know love him. I don't know who you're talking about. I don't think he feels unloved, if that's what you're talking about?
What I mean is Weller’s name doesn’t seem to come up in many conversations about Britain’s greatest rock musicians, like say The Who, or The Beatles or The Smiths. Whereas for me Paul Weller should be front and centre…
He is for me. He means a lot to me. But he means a lot to most people I know. Is he underappreciated? I don't know. Most people f***ing love him, like I do. So I don’t see that.
The Jam and the Style Council and all of his solo albums, which he's done about eighteen, twenty albums. I mean, most of them go to number one, don't they? Or to the top five anyway. So I don't think he's unloved.
Cradock performing with Ocean Colour Scene in 2023 / Credit: Jim Mitcham
After this tour for Ocean Colour Scene, looking to next year, Oasis will be back on tour. You guys did the original Knebworth. What about next year? Is there any chance Ocean Colour Scene could be at one of those Knebworth shows?
No, I don't think so, unfortunately. We'd love to, but I don't think it's on the table.
I thought Cast and Richard Ashcroft were great when I saw them at Wembley. I'm not sure who's supporting them. I've heard Primal Scream might be doing it. I think it would be great. Even if it's just those two, I think that's a good support set. Also it's about Oasis isn't it?
But as far as I know, our name is not on the list.
Can you not drop Noel a little text and say, ‘How about it, for old time's sake?’
I did text him and I spoke to Debbie [Gwyther] on email and I think it's a no. You’ve got to ask, that’s fair enough, isn't it? But, you know, there's so many groups who want to be doing it and that's how it is.
As somebody who was there from the very beginning from the early ‘90s, what was it like for you to go and watch Oasis and see them come back together?
Oh, it was fantastic. We supported them on their first tour. The first gig we did with them was the Newcastle gig where Noel got thumped. We did that tour and we did a few abroad with them, and then we did Knebworth. All of those were fantastic. You know, it was really incredible, really great to see their rise and the way that they managed to influence a nation, you know, or a big part of the nation anyway. And then seeing them reform, because Liam's always said it was never done in his eyes. It was never finished properly.
I thought Liam was incredible at the Wembley show that I saw. He was truly amazing. His singing was like it always was, you know, fantastic. And the sound of the band was great. The set was great. And the way that the audience reacted was phenomenal. Amazing.
It was really special. And it was great to see the cross generations and the wide scope of people who went to the shows, wasn’t it?
Yeah, totally. I mean, there were three generations at least. It was just a great communion. It was just love and music. It was a very, very positive experience. Beautiful.
The Oasis reunion sort of gave the whole country a lift…
Yeah. It was really exciting.
What are your memories of hanging out with Liam and Noel back in the ‘90s?
They were just Manc lads who loved music. They were really fiery and Liam loved his shoes. I used to pick up old cord shoes from second-hand shops in those days, and we would swap shoes and we'd talk about fashion, and play John Lennon’s music continually. Liam had a lot of passion and he was a beautiful young kid, you know. And he's still a beautiful lad now, isn't he. He's amazing.
The last time I spoke to your bandmate Simon he told me that Mel B once tried to bed him after they recorded the World Cup song. Despite his insistence that she wasn't his type. Is a story like that indicative of what the ‘90s were like? Crossing paths with celebrities like that?
I don’t know about that! We saw Diana Ross once, which was quite incredible.
Credit: Brian Sweeney
What was it like backstage on a show like Top of the Pops?
Well, it was very boring. You know, you'd sit around. That's why most people end up getting pissed or drugged up, it was boring. You'd have to turn up there seven o'clock in the morning and you hang around all day. But we, as mates, we always had a laugh and we made our own fun. But as a whole day, it was just the BBC and you would sit in a tiny room for hours on end. That side of things isn't what it's cracked up to be. There's no glamour in it. It's just boring. But then everyone sees the spectacle of Top of the Pops, which is a really important show back in the day, obviously. It’s like Charlie Watts saying, ‘Twenty-five years of The Rolling Stones, it's twenty years hanging around and five years of music.’ That's kind of a funny quote, I think.
Do you think a show like Top of the Pops is missed as a focal point? Because obviously it was a place where music fans could discover new bands and new artists. Now everything's obviously spread across TikTok and YouTube, and there's too many things battling for your attention…
That's true. And I think that's half the reason people don't listen to albums in the same way, because people's attention span has been shifted. That was what was good with what Chris Evans did with TFI Friday. You'd see four live groups playing every Friday night and that was a great thing. There was no miming, you played live.
I don't watch telly these days. So I don't even know what, what is on the television. I know Jools Holland is still going. Jools has been one of the most important people in music over the years, without a doubt. Thousands and thousands of groups, from new groups to old groups have played. That man's incredible. Apart from that, I don't even know what gets shown on TV these days. People just put five seconds up on Instagram, don't they?
There really isn’t a show that has live music apart from Jools Holland on the telly…
Hence, this is why the live arena is important. Seeing people play live.
You mentioned The Molotovs. Are you still hunting out new bands and new music?
Yeah. New old stuff as well. I really love the Daptone record label. I think Gabriel Roth who is responsible is great. I think These Sacred Souls are amazing. The Womack Sisters record is great. I love how Gabriel has made it his own industry, like Berry Gordy did with Motown or Al Bell did with Stax. You can still go on their site and buy the seven-inch singles and the albums and they're going out touring. There’s a lot of great tracks on that label.
And there's always old music that never got anywhere. There's always old stuff that gets unearthed. So I listen to new and new old stuff and anything.
It's a never-ending journey, discovering music…
Absolutely.
You’ve done some solo stuff previously and you’ve toured with your son. Are there plans to do another solo project?
There is. This year I did, like, 45 shows with my lad Cas, he plays piano, acoustic and flute. Then I had my wife Sal singing and my daughter was doing the merch. So it reminded me of the kind of the Ronnie Lane Passing Show thing, the circus show he did in ‘74. We would just get in a Winnebago and travel around the country playing music. I'm going to do the same thing next year. I think we've got 50 dates booked. So I’m going to do a bit more of that.
What a special thing, to get to do that with your entire family…
Yeah. That was one of the reasons I accepted doing it because I knew that I would only have a small window to do this with the whole family before you can’t, logistically. So they both agreed to get involved. So that's why I thought it would be nice to do.
Could you ever make a record together?
We were doing two 45-minute sets on this tour at the beginning of this year. I went back to the studio on my days off this summer, we recorded 12 of the songs that were in the set. We’ve had them mixed and they’re going to be sold as an album for next year's tour. I've done a really great version of The Riverboat Song, it hasn't got the guitar, it's like a slower folk version of it, which I think is really great.
