It’s a heatwave. The sun is out. People are making their way beachwards. Surfers dot the horizon as the white crests of waves break against the shore. If you wanted to make the comparison could you say it all felt… maybe… just a bit… Australian?
But I am talking of Brighton and sadly I can’t passably make the comparison as I’ve never been to Australia. Fortunately that doesn’t mean I have to miss out on one of their greatest musical exports as this Summer surfer rock band Ocean Alley are due to visit the UK. The fifteen-date UK and EU tour comes off the back of their latest album Low Altitude Living and includes visits to Dublin, Bristol, Glasgow, London, Amsterdam, Birmingham and, of course, Brighton with the six-piece due to make a home of Brighton Dome for one night and one night only.
It is a gig, and a tour, which very nearly wasn’t possible with Covid almost signalling the end for Ocean Alley as it did for many artists and acts across the world. The imposed lockdowns brought to a halt two years touring their breakthrough record – 2018’s Chiaroscuro which featured 6x platinum hit ‘Confidence’ – and the band found themselves having to endure a forced break with plenty of time on their hands. A daunting prospect for some (and a potentially game-ender for others), Ocean Alley managed to devote this time to experimentation in sound, in exploring new directions for the band and charting previously unknown creative waters. “We’ve never really had a chance to put the time in to demo our songs properly,” opines frontman Baden Donegal “We used to have some songs written, often in the back of a tour bus, then jam a couple of times and head straight into the studio to smash them out. It didn’t give us time to reflect on what we had written and actually hear what we were creating before it was time to submit the album for production.”
The result is their latest album, the band’s fourth release, Low Altitude Living. It’s a funk-inspired, at times bluesy, riff-laden journey of a record that packs a punk soul yet endowed with a softer tone than some of their previous outings. “We’ve been a band for over 10 years now,” says Baden. “Time and growing up are going to affect who we are, and what music we are playing. Naturally everyone’s music taste is changing as new records are released or discovered and inspire us in some way. We will continue to grow and change with each record.” The band are open about their constant pursuit to evolve their sound as well as the darker themes at home beneath the cheerier feelgood crowd-pleasers. Their fans welcome the honesty that sits at the heart of their music as well as the sonic versatility they construct about it.
Fans that can now be found across the globe – North, South, East, West, up and down (under.) And, on September 2nd, the Brighton contingent will descend upon Brighton Dome for the long-awaited first outing of Low Altitude Living, an album named after something close to Ocean Alley’s heart. Baden explains, “Low altitude, being by the beach is where we all have the most peace. So naming the album Low Altitude Living made a lot of sense.” It’s a sentiment that Brightonians can certainly get behind. Especially in a heatwave when the sun is out and people are making their way beachwards. Out to sea, surfers dot the horizon as the white crests of waves break against the shore. Low altitude living, indeed.
Brighton Dome, Monday 2nd September
For tickets and further information click here
Photo by Kane Lehanneur
