In 1993, the start of the turnaround occurred. Paul Weller invited the band to support him on some dates of his tour. On the back of these performances, Weller invited guitarist Steve Cradock to play on one of his singles, and vocalist Simon Fowler to sing on his album, Wild Wood. Cradock was asked to play live with Weller on his tour, and the money Cradock made kept the band afloat during this time.
Britpop fame (1995–2000)
The band recorded a demo that was sent to various industry figures. After hearing this tape, Noel Gallagher invited the band to play with Oasis on their 1995 tour. This support slot brought OCS to the attention of more record labels, and eventually in late 1995, the band signed with MCA Records. With the explosion of the Britpop scene, OCS's music became nationally and internationally known. Their second album Moseley Shoals was released to mixed-to-positive reviews, containing four hit singles and reached No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart. They also played at one of the concerts at Knebworth House supporting Oasis in August 1996.
Marchin' Already, the follow-up to Moseley Shoals, went to No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart, displacing Oasis' Be Here Now at the top of the charts in 1997. In 1998 they headlined their own arena tour in support of Marchin' Already and played three sold out nights at Stirling Castle, Scotland.
One from the Modern was released in 1999, and peaked in the UK Albums Chart at No. 4. The record spawned three top 40 singles, "Profit in Peace", "So Low" and "July". A Greatest Hits album, Songs for the Front Row, was released in 2001.
Post-Britpop (2001–2008)
After splitting with bassist Damon Minchella, the band continued to record and perform. Releases in 2001 (Mechanical Wonder), 2003 (North Atlantic Drift), 2005 (A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad) and 2007 (On the Leyline) continued the trend of releasing new material every two years.
2004 saw the band release their first live album, Live: One for the Road. The album was a compilation of nineteen live tracks taken from various concerts. In 2006 the band released a live acoustic album, Live at the Jam House, which consisted of fifteen live tracks and also contained four new songs in "Great Man in Waiting", "The Word", "Still Trying" and "Matilda's England".
The band also released a live album in December 2006, which was recorded at Birmingham Academy and spread over two discs. People attending the gig were able to purchase the recording straight afterwards.
Recent years (2009–present)
In 2009, the band went into the studio with producer Gavin Monaghan, known for his work with Editors, Scott Matthews and The Twang, to work on a new album, Saturday, with a release date of 1 February 2010 to mark the 21st anniversary of the band. The album had a working title of 'Rockfield', named after the studios where it was recorded, but it was released as Saturday - both "Rockfield" and "Saturday" being tracks thereon.
On 2 November 2009, the band released a free downloadable version of a new song, "Mrs Maylie". "Magic Carpet Days", the first single from Saturday, was released on 25 January, followed by the album a few days later. The album charted at No. 35 on the UK Albums Chart. A second single, "Saturday", was released in May 2010 but it failed to chart. On 24 July 2010 they performed at the Wickerman Festival.
On 11 October 2010, the band released a 4-CD box set, 21, to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the band. It included many previously unreleased tracks and a brand new song entitled "Twenty One".
In March 2011, the band released a 15th anniversary special edition of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. It consisted of the full album, b-sides and live tracks. The band played a full UK tour in support of the re-release. December saw the limited edition release of a double CD/DVD release of the band's Moseley Shoals gig at O2 Academy Birmingham, which was filmed on 26 February 2011. They performed an acoustic set at Lanford Live in 2011 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. In December 2012, the band announced the forthcoming release of their tenth studio album, Painting, which was released on 11 February 2013. They also played at V-festival where Inbetweeners actor James Buckley performed "The Circle" with them in Chelmsford and at The Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally, Ireland.
In 2014 a special edition of Marchin' Already was released on a 2 CD edition and a special deluxe 4 disc box set which included a DVD of their live performance at Stirling Castle in 1998. Early 2015 saw the band celebrate their 25th anniversary with some acoustic concerts around the UK. They released a double CD live album which was recorded at the Manchester concert on the tour.
The following year, in 2016, the band announced several special concerts around the UK to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1996 hit album Moseley Shoals. They also played several dates in Australia for the first time in their career.
On 22 June 2016, the band officially announced that Scottish musician Raymond Meade would be joining the band permanently on bass, following the departures of both Dan Sealey and Andy Bennett. Meade had already played live with the band since the start of the year.
In November 2018 the band unveiled their first new material in five years since the release of Painting. The four track EP was released on 10" vinyl and available only at the band's Christmas shows. The EP received a 5 stars rating from Flick of the Finger, with the publication stating that 'Lushly textured, these four compelling and diverse new offerings are nothing short of brilliant.' In 2023 the band released a career-spanning box set entitled Yesterday, Today 1992–2018, which contained all their studio albums and 5 bonus CDs, totalling 230 tracks. The set also came with a 72-page book. A companion vinyl box set was also released, covering their first three studio albums from 1992–1997. In May, a follow-up vinyl set was released, covering the three studio albums released between 1999-2003. August saw the release of the final box set, covering the remaining four albums, 2005-2013.
Studio albums
Ocean Colour Scene (1992)
Moseley Shoals (1996)
Marchin' Already (1997)
B-Sides: Seasides & Freerides (1997)
One from the Modern (1999)
Mechanical Wonder (2001)
North Atlantic Drift (2003)
A Hyperactive Workout for the Flying Squad (2005)
On the Leyline (2007)
Saturday (2010)
Painting (2013)
Alibis
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But you spit them out and pretend you're sneezing
And every word is such a joke
With so many pasts you'd be ninety years old
Don't you wonder why the room keeps on leaving
Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say
Don't think that I would never need it
Don't think that I would ever believe it
It's just a thought and nothing more
That all your thoughts and moves are taught
And memorized each night before your sleeping
And every word is such a joke
Strung from neon masts flying flags you hope
Will win you friends and give your life some meaning
Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say
Don't think that I would never need it
Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say
Don't think that I would ever believe it
You told so many lies, your tongue is stained with alibis
You've been around the world and found it pleasing
And every word is such a joke
With so many pasts you'd be a hundred years old
Don't you wonder why the room keeps on leaving
Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say
Don't think that I would never need it
Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say
Don't think that I would ever believe it
The song "Alibis" by Ocean Colour Scene is a commentary on the emptiness and insincerity of someone who constantly lies and fabricates stories to impress others. The first verse describes this person as having a tongue "black with fireflies" from telling so many lies. Despite this, they continue to spew out falsehoods and pretend that they are sneezing. The second verse suggests that this person's entire personality is a facade, as their every move and thought is taught and memorized each night before they go to sleep. They are desperate to win friends and give their life some meaning, but the neon masts they use to fly their flags of identity are simply a facade. The chorus repeats the lines "Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say? / Don't think that I would never need it / Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say? / Don't think that I would ever believe it." The singer is implying that they see through this person's lies and false persona, and that they are not so easily fooled.
In the final verse, the person's lies are described as alibis, and they are said to have been "around the world and found it pleasing." However, the singer is still not convinced by the person's stories, and wonders why the room always seems to empty when they begin to speak. Overall, "Alibis" is a scathing critique of fake people who are only concerned with impressing others and creating false narratives to make their lives seem more interesting than they really are.
Line by Line Meaning
You told so many lies, your tongue is black with fireflies
You have lied so much that your tongue appears to be black and crawling with fireflies in order to cover up your deceptions.
But you spit them out and pretend you're sneezing
You shamelessly and falsely deny your lies by feigning a sneeze and spitting them out as if they were foreign to you.
And every word is such a joke
Your words are not to be taken seriously and are often made in jest, displaying your insincerity.
With so many pasts you'd be ninety years old
You have told so many different versions of your past that if each one was true, you would be ninety years old.
Don't you wonder why the room keeps on leaving
You are left alone because nobody wants to be around someone who cannot be trusted.
Hey, hey, what's that I heard you say
I am questioning what you just said, as it is probably another falsehood.
Don't think that I would never need it
Do not assume that I will never have a use for the truth or that I will never value it.
Don't think that I would ever believe it
Do not expect me to believe your lies, as I am aware of your track record.
It's just a thought and nothing more
This is merely an observation and not an accusation, but it is still something to consider.
That all your thoughts and moves are taught
Everything you do and say seems to be calculated and rehearsed, making it seem like you have learned them rather than expressing your true self.
And memorized each night before your sleeping
You are so concerned with maintaining your facade that you spend your nights rehearsing and memorizing what you will say and do the next day.
Strung from neon masts flying flags you hope
Your words are like banners hanging from neon masts, striving to catch the attention of others and win their admiration.
Will win you friends and give your life some meaning
You hope that your lies and false facade will gain you popularity and lead to a more fulfilling life, but it only serves to distance yourself from others.
You told so many lies, your tongue is stained with alibis
Your lies have become so ingrained in you that they have left a permanent stain and have become part of your identity.
You've been around the world and found it pleasing
You have traveled far and wide pretending to be someone you're not, and found the false admiration and attention from others to be pleasing.
With so many pasts you'd be a hundred years old
Your fabrications about your past are so numerous that if they were true, you would be over a hundred years old.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEPHEN CRADOCK, SIMON FOWLER, OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, DAMON MINCHELLA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind