Ocean Colour Scene’s Marchin’ Already: A Timeless Britpop Odyssey
I remember the exact moment Ocean Colour Scene entered my life. It was a Friday evening in the mid-90s, the TV tuned to TFI Friday, when a thunderous riff shook my bedroom. As host Chris Evans grinned mischievously, The Riverboat Song blared through the speakers – a swampy blues swagger that made my heart race. I was sixteen, maybe seventeen, and in love instantly. That riff became the soundtrack of my youth’s rebellion, signaling the start of the weekend and a new musical obsession.
In those days, discovering music was a sacred journey shared with friends. My best friend Andrew always had a massive CD collection, a treasure trove we would raid. We’d spend whole evenings surrounded by album liners, guitars and jewel cases, eagerly trading recommendations. Together we dived into Ocean Colour Scene, playing each track until we knew every lyric, every chord change. By the time sophomore album Marchin’ Already came out, we were devotees.
Around that time, I was living Britpop, not just listening to it. My friends and I started our own little band, Blue Fur, naively chasing the tail of the Britpop comet. In a serendipitous twist, our band’s photographer also worked with Ocean Colour Scene. Through that one-degree of separation, our youthful fantasies felt attainable. We’d pepper her with questions: What are they like? What was it like meeting Simon for the first time? We lived vicariously through those tales, each story stoking our teenage rock ’n’ roll dreams.
But the pinnacle of my fan journey came on a crisp autumn night at the Blackwood Miners Institute. Ocean Colour Scene were playing a gig in this intimate venue in our hometown – an almost unbelievable chance to see them up close. We packed into the hall, my heart pounding as the lights dimmed. When the band took the stage, it felt like seeing old friends. They launched into One Hundred Mile High City and the walls shook with sound and sing-alongs. Simon’s voice rang out rich and warm, Steve Cradock’s guitar swirling soulful and wild. I stood at the front of the stage, singing every word, feeling every note. In that moment I was lost – a teenager transported, living a dream I’d nurtured for years.
Those memories have aged like fine wine – growing richer, sweeter, more nostalgic with time. Whenever I hear the opening chords of Hundred Mile High City or the gentle strum of Better Day, I’m instantly that teenager again, the world opening up through a five-minute song. It’s amazing how music weaves itself into the fabric of our lives. Ocean Colour Scene’s music did that for me – it scored the misadventures of my adolescence, the late-night conversations about life and love, the road trips and the mixtapes. It’s forever part of my identity.
So, years later, when my website AltSounds had the chance to sit down with Simon Fowler himself – the voice that guided me through those tumultuous teen years – I was excited. I wanted to find out, to revisit that golden era of Britpop with the man who lived it from the eye of the storm.
What follows is a narrative winding through memories and melodies, much like a Dylan Thomas poem wandering through youthful nights. It’s the story of Marchin’ Already, of Ocean Colour Scene’s place in Britpop history, their deep bond with Paul Weller, and the enduring legacy of a band that never stopped marching to the beat of its own drum.
MUG5 artwork created using an original photo by Chris Boland with permission.
Britpop’s Underdog Victory: Marchin’ Already Tops the Charts
The mid-90s Britpop explosion was a whirlwind of Union Jack guitars, swaggering anthems, and youthful bravado. In 1997, at the height of this musical carnival, Ocean Colour Scene released Marchin’ Already – an album that would etch their names into Britpop lore.
By the turn of the millennium, the Britpop party was largely over. Many bands who had soared in the mid-90s found themselves crashing back to earth. Oasis imploded in a blaze of brotherly hate by 2009, Blur went on hiatus, Pulp stepped away…
Ocean Colour Scene may not have sought the limelight like some of their peers, but they have something even rarer: longevity. The songs remain. The crowds still show up. And as long as people are singing The Day We Caught the Train at the top of their lungs, Ocean Colour Scene’s music will never fade.
Marching Through Time: Ocean Colour Scene’s Legacy
There’s a certain magic to records that refuse to fade with time. The albums that hold their own against changing tides, still pulsing with the energy of the moment they were created. Ocean Colour Scene’s Marchin’ Already is one of them. A record that, decades later, still echoes in pubs, at festivals, and through the voices of fans who have carried these songs like old photographs tucked in their pockets.
For a band that once stormed the top of the UK charts and knocked Oasis off their pedestal, Ocean Colour Scene’s journey has been an unusual one. They weren’t flash-in-the-pan Britpop darlings. They didn’t lean into self-destruction or industry feuds. Instead, they simply played. They wrote songs that felt like they’d always existed. They built a following that didn’t rely on trends, but on melody, heart, and a distinctly British warmth. And when their time at the top cooled, they didn’t disappear. They just kept marching.
So when Simon Fowler and the band announced the 2013 reissue and tour for Marchin’ Already, there was something poetic about it. A band who had always been defined by movement—their relentless touring, their connection to the road—was returning to one of their defining moments. Two sold-out nights at Shepherd’s Bush Empire were booked. The album was set to be revisited front to back. The question was, did Marchin’ Already still resonate for them, the way it did for their fans?
The Reissue Nobody Told Them About
When AltSounds writer Greg Arthur sat down with Simon Fowler, I assumed this tour was a deliberate celebration. A carefully planned anniversary moment. Turns out, the band itself had no idea about the reissue!
AltSounds: You’re re-releasing a couple of records in February, I just wanted to know why you’re…
Simon Fowler: Are we?!
AltSounds: Yeah, Moseley Shoals and Marchin’ Already, I think, as deluxe editions or something?
Simon Fowler: (Laughs) I think we might be releasing Marchin’ Already, but I don’t know. It’s got nothing to do with us.
There’s a bemused amusement in Fowler’s voice—proof that, even after 25 years, the industry still moves in strange ways. Ocean Colour Scene, the band that wrote the damn album, weren’t even consulted on its return. A stark reminder that, even for a band as enduring as OCS, decisions are still often made behind closed doors.
But that doesn’t mean the tour wasn’t meaningful. For the fans, it was a pilgrimage back to a golden era. For the band, it was a moment to reflect on the music they had written two decades prior—songs that now carried years of stories, memories, and meanings beyond their original intent.
Hearing the Past with New Ears
AltSounds: Has your perception of Marchin’ Already changed over the years? Do you hear it differently now?
Simon Fowler: What’s noticeable, is that it’s a different sounding record, or a feel record. I wouldn’t say it’s more folk-influenced, but I can hear more of me on that record. Moseley Shoals, I can hear a lot of Steve (Cradock) and the producer, Brendan Lynch. It’s a slightly mellower sounding record.
There’s something striking about that. To Fowler, the album is a reflection of the band itself at that moment in time. While Moseley Shoals roared with a youthful bravado, Marchin’ Already had a more grounded, self-assured confidence. Listening to it again, all these years later, it almost felt like looking at an old photograph of yourself—recognizing who you were, but knowing you’ve changed since.
The Britpop Highs and the Reality of Staying Power
In 1997, Ocean Colour Scene pulled off something no one expected: they dethroned Oasis from the UK album charts. In the thick of Britpop mania, when Blur vs. Oasis dominated headlines, Marchin’ Already quietly slid in and stole the top spot.
AltSounds: Were you ever trying to match that success again?
Simon Fowler: I guess we were, but in reality, your time comes and goes. We’ve been together for 25 years, I don’t know many bands that have stayed as successful as their peak for that long—maybe U2. Blur and Oasis don’t really count, as they split up and one got back together, then they fell out… I guess Radiohead have been around a while now, haven’t they?
There’s no bitterness in Fowler’s voice—just an understanding that music is cyclical. The bands who lived for the charts and headlines burned out the fastest. Ocean Colour Scene’s approach was different: longevity over spectacle. And that’s why, in 2013, they were still selling out venues across the UK while many of their peers had disappeared.
The Unexpected Humor of OCS
One of the best things about talking to Simon Fowler is that he doesn’t take things too seriously. Even when discussing the heavier realities of being a “heritage act,” he punctuates his answers with humor.
AltSounds: Some bands from the 90s are reforming now. What do you think of that?
Simon Fowler: I think they’ve probably got to pay the mortgage!
There’s a knowing smirk in his tone. Unlike many of those reformed bands, OCS never stopped. They weren’t cashing in on nostalgia—they were simply continuing the journey they had always been on.
Still Marching, Still Playing
As the interview winds down, there’s one question left to ask: Does Ocean Colour Scene have another album in them?
AltSounds: You’ve done ten albums now—do you think you’ll make another?
Simon Fowler: I don’t know. Steve (Cradock) has just put out his third solo album, and Oscar is about to start playing with The Beat in the new year. But we’ll always be around. We still tour, and we still play together. We’ve done ten albums—we might do more, but if we don’t, we’ve done alright, haven’t we?
There’s a quiet confidence in that. A sense of satisfaction, rather than urgency. Ocean Colour Scene doesn’t need to chase anything. They exist in a space of their own—outside of trends, outside of fleeting fame. And perhaps that’s why they’re still here, still playing, still marching.
Because in the end, the best bands don’t just live in a moment. They create music that outlives the moment.
Exclusive Full Interview with Simon Fowler
For those still interested and curious, we’re excited to present the complete, unedited 2013 interview by Greg Arthur with Simon Fowler for AltSounds below.
Ahead of their double-run of shows at Shepherds Bush Empire for the Marchin’ Already tour, AltSounds sat down with Simon Fowler of Ocean Colour Scene to have a chat about being in a band for 25 years, retired footballer Dion Dublin, and passive-abusive text messages from Liam Gallagher.
AltSounds: Hi Simon, thanks for meeting with us.
Simon Fowler: That’s alright!
AltSounds: You’re re-releasing a couple of records in February, I just wanted to know why you’re…
Simon Fowler: Are we?!
AltSounds: Yeah, Moseley Shoals and Marchin’ Already, I think, as deluxe editions or something?
Simon Fowler: (Laughs) I think we might be releasing Marchin’ Already, but I don’t know. It’s got nothing to do with us.
AltSounds: Really?
Simon Fowler: No.
AltSounds: You’re not involved in the decision to do that?
Simon Fowler: (Laughs) It would appear not! I think it’s down to the record label, Universal, or whoever it was on… I’ve got no idea…
AltSounds: I didn’t know if it was you guys that sat down together and agreed to put it out again for the 25 years?
Simon Fowler: I don’t know, I’ve got no idea.
AltSounds: That’s OK. So on those two records, has your perception changed over the years?
Simon Fowler: What’s noticeable is that it’s a different sounding record, or a feel record. I wouldn’t say it’s more folk-influenced, but I can hear more of me on that record. On Moseley Shoals, I can hear a lot of Steve, the producer (Brendan Lynch). It’s a slightly mellower sounding record.
AltSounds: I listened back to it a couple of times this week, and there’s a couple of big hitters, but the rest you can kind of sit down and listen to.
Simon Fowler: Yeah, it is a different feel record. I mean, I haven’t listened to it since it came out.
AltSounds: Really? You didn’t re-visit it?
Simon Fowler: Well yeah, I listened to some of the songs when re-learning them.
AltSounds: Had to go back to them?
Simon Fowler: Yeah. I don’t listen to our stuff once it’s out. I don’t know if other people do. I think it’d be rather eerie.
AltSounds: So in ‘97, Marchin’ Already knocked Oasis from the #1 album slot. Were you ever trying to match that success again?
Simon Fowler: I guess we were, but in reality, your time comes and goes. We’ve been together for 25 years. Not many bands stay as successful as their peak for that long—maybe U2. Blur and Oasis don’t count since they split up and got back together, then fell out… I guess Radiohead have been around a while now, haven’t they?
AltSounds: Yeah, I think they’re pushing 20 years.
Simon Fowler: But the thing is, Jake Bugg should be #1 now, not us.
AltSounds: What do you think of bands from the ‘90s reforming now?
Simon Fowler: I think they’ve probably got to pay the mortgage!
AltSounds: Do you reckon it’s a money-making exercise?
Simon Fowler: Well yes, it does make money, but ultimately, they could go and do different jobs… or maybe they couldn’t. I don’t know what I’d do apart from this.
AltSounds: If these bands are just playing old hits, is that unfair?
Simon Fowler: Well, we do release new things. We put out a new record this year, but you do become a heritage act. I don’t know if we’ll release another record or not.
AltSounds: Really?
Simon Fowler: Yeah, I don’t know. I’m about to release another Merrymouth album with Dan Sealey, and Steve just put out his third solo album. Oscar is about to start playing with The Beat.
AltSounds: WOW!
Simon Fowler: Yeah, he’ll love that. He’s known Ranking Roger for 30 years. We met up at a festival in Ireland recently, and it was an instant brotherhood sort of thing. Then he got a call saying, “Will you come and play with us? The drummer is 64 and can’t keep up!” (Laughs).
AltSounds: Nice. You’ve been at this over 20 years—ever fancy calling it a day?
Simon Fowler: I don’t know, really. We can all do other things and come back to this. I guess if one of us died.
AltSounds: So you’d want to carry on with the core members?
Simon Fowler: Yeah, unless one of us died. I think that’d be it.
AltSounds: You think you’ll still be knocking around for a while?
Simon Fowler: I think so, yes. There’s no reason not to.
AltSounds: Thanks for your time, and have a good show!
Simon Fowler: Not a problem. Pleasure.
