Oasis, Pulp & Suede are all playing huge tours – we can ride the Britpop wave too

Scottish Sun

18-06-2025

They had three top five albums and a legendary run of nine successive top 20 singles
RETRO SCENE Oasis, Pulp & Suede are all playing huge tours – we can ride the Britpop wave too
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OCEAN Colour Scene hope to ride a BritPop wave spurred on by this summer's Oasis reunion.
The 90s rockers shot to fame with huge anthems such as The Riverboat Song and Traveller's Tune in their heyday.
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Ocean Colour Scene will play in Glasgow later this month
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The group in their 90s heyday
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They supported Oasis at Knebworth
They famously supported Liam and Noel at their massive Loch Lomond and Knebworth shows nearly 30 years ago.
Although this time they won't be warming up for the warring brothers' comeback - as they have their own headline gig at Glasgow's Queens Park later this month.
Guitarist Steve Cradock, 55, said: 'We're from a generation that grew up listening to records. That era is still well-loved and it was a great time where amazing music came from our shores.
'People get nostalgic about it because it was such a good time.'
The group, which also includes frontman Simon Fowler, drummer Oscar Harrison and bass player Raymond Meade, will also perform two big dates at Dundee's Slessor Gardens in July.
With three top five albums and a legendary run of nine successive top 20 singles, the band have plenty of material to keep such large crowds happy.
But Steve believes it's extra important to impress their Scottish fans - as they are the main reason the band hit the big time.
Steve, who also plays guitar for Paul Weller's band, said: 'Scotland feels like our home ground and I think it goes back to around 1996 when we put out our Moseley Shoals album.
'We just released the Riverboat Song, we were on Top of the Pops, and we had eight Scottish gigs and our promoter thought we wouldn't do them.
'But we never cancelled them. That established Scotland as our base and then we had a Stirling Castle date in 1998.
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'It's like our hometown. Why that is I don't know. Most bands will say that to you about Scotland.
'But there's something exceptional in the Scottish DNA.'
Even after 35 years, Steve reckons the band is still improving.
They completed a huge UK tour in April and had so much fun they immediately added many more dates for the summer.
As they've got older, the guitarist reckons they've also got smarter. He said: 'We've all got our s*** together so it's been a joy.
'Every show was a dream. The audiences were fantastic and that just keeps happening. The songs keep growing and the crowds keep growing.
'We keep finding new fans. It's a strange one. If you're in a household and your parents are playing our tunes, it'll seep through.
'It's the same with my children and it gets passed down. We've seen the next generation arrive at our shows and that's fantastic.'
He added: 'We've got our act together and we're a good band at the moment.
'Raymond, who's from Glasgow, has been our bass player for ten years and my lad is playing piano and guitar and Oscar's son Leon is playing percussion.
'Simon has calmed down too. I spent a week at my home in Devon before this tour and we got together with the band for a couple of days.
'And it comes together really quickly because we're so old now.'
The focus now turns to Queens Park later this month as the group continue their love affair here.
Although sunshine can't be guaranteed, Steve reckons the future is bright as they get to play the sort of outdoor gig they love most.
He said: 'We played Kelvingrove Bandstand last year and that was one of best nights we've had in Glasgow. It was like being in a miniature Hollywood Bowl.
'I love outdoor gigs. Maybe that's because I'm coming off the back of tour indoors.
'But music flows differently playing outdoor gigs. It makes for a different vibration.
'It's just a nice atmosphere, especially when the weather is nice.'