The hazy days of summer may be behind us, but before you lock yourself away to ride out the wintry weather, check out the hottest sound coming out of Sydney’s Northern Beaches at the moment.
Paying homage to their heroes Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Bradley Nowell through a fusion of psychedelic rock and reggae, Ocean Alley embody the spirit and soul of their hometown. They haven’t gone unnoticed, amassing a large and loyal fan base around the country. “We just got back from playing a few gigs in Perth for the first time – it was an amazing experience,” smiles bassist Nic Blom. “We spent the whole summer on the road and we loved it!”
Not content to let the grass grow under their feet, Ocean Alley have loaded up their faithful tour van once again to celebrate the release of ‘Space Goat’, the second single from their upcoming EP. “We’ve gotten pretty good at living on the road – we just get a trailer for all our instruments and hook it up to the van,” says Blom. “Can you believe that we manage to squeeze everyone in the back together? There are seven of us now – it’s always an experience.”
Way back when, the boys were a group of best mates growing up like any other. Blom says forming a band was the natural next step after realising they could all play instruments. So from humble beginnings in the backyard shed, Ocean Alley were born.
“When we were younger, a few of us were into heavy metal, hardcore stuff, and we’d go to the local underage club – this little venue. They’d always have cool bands there, so we thought, ‘Hey, we could do that!’ That’s also why we like to play all-ages shows as much as we can, too.”
Blom says he and the guys are looking forward to their all-ages gig at Sydney’s Metro Lair, and from all accounts the intimate, stripped-back venue will be the ideal backdrop to hear their raw new sounds. “I can’t wait, because there are six tracks on the new EP and we’re planning to play three or four. There are a couple of heavier sections in these tracks – these songs are a bit grungier.”
But for Ocean Alley fans who can’t wait to get their hands on the new release, Blom says a little more patience will be required.
“We’ve recorded all of it, except one song. We just need a chance to go back in, but because we’ve been so busy lately we haven’t had time. We’re hoping to put it out just after this tour.
“We’ve got some horns on this EP as well. We got a couple of friends to play on a couple of tracks – Jakob Keysell and Nate Porter from The Dinlows. I can tell you, it was a lot of fun!”
From the sound of it, Ocean Alley have found kindred spirits in Blueberry Circuit – another gang of cool customers from the Illawarra. “We’ve played a couple of shows with them and we’ve always got along well, so we thought they’d be a pretty good fit to be on the road with us – they have a similar sort of vibe. We never had that connection with a band on tour before.”
Much like their tour mates, a natural laid-back approach to live performance and onstage chemistry are two of the things that set Ocean Alley apart from their contemporaries. “Each of the boys is pretty easy-going – we never have any arguments,” says Blom. “It’s all about sarcasm for us and making each other laugh.”
On Saturday May 18Ocean Alleyplay The Lair, Metro Theatre in the afternoon, and Brighton Up Bar in the evening, with Blueberry Circuit. Also catch them atMoonshine, Manly on Friday May 15.
