Reviewed on Saturday February 6
Whether you were there for one, some or all the acts playing at Oxford Art Factory in the name of Ocean Alley’s latest tour, the evening felt like a trip (of the car variety) with so much to take in.
Perth garage/art rock group Moana got things rolling in a dark and seductive tone while resplendent in fur-lined psychedelic coats and glittery make-up. With an energetic lead singer in the band’s namesake Moana Lutton, despite their best intentions, their outfits occasionally rivalled the music’s attention and came across as a little contrived.
Endorsed by The Preatures’ Jack Moffit and highly enjoyable to watch, King Colour were next up. Between lead singer Liam Staples grinning to himself at stage right, bassist Matthew Digges’ hunched shoulder moves and some impressive guitar – their steelpan-reminiscent riffs included – it was hard to avoid reciprocating the performers’ smiles at the sound and sight of their psych groove.
The Ruminaters then took to the stage with a Nancy Sinatra-style intro (think Kill Bill, not Daisy Duke), preceded by an offbeat, hillbilly-accented introduction. At times frustrating to pin down, the band’s sound was varied but always familiar, in a good way. After jumping more genres than there were acts playing on the evening, The Ruminaters’ jamming crescendo conclusion was apt and indicative of their quality live skills.
It felt like a long ride to get to the final post but Ocean Alley and their surfy reggae rock were finally on the horizon. Making the kind of music good for kicking back on a hazy, laid-back summer afternoon, the shaggy-haired sextet filled up the stage (and room), and swung into ‘Holiday’ as the party got into stride. Reminiscent of an early Sticky Fingers, the band artfully balanced four guitars, keys and drums, never giving the impression there was too much going on. Lead guitarist Angus Goodwin’s solos were a stand-out.
Likely due to the fact they’d played a matinee set for under 18s earlier that day, it took a little while for the band to pick things up and really rattle the room. By the time the end of the road neared, a makeshift circle pit – make that an oval pit – started to form in what felt like an unlikely setting. Just when it seemed like there was still something missing, the sounds of ‘Yellow Mellow’ and the smell of a joint filled the air, and it was all confirmed: we’d arrived at our destination.
