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)
On the Leyline Waiting
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just, so that we can use them
There's shadows hanging over me now
It's on the leyline waiting
When the magic comes
And the shit subsides
Then you're on your way
To the harbor cries
To the crossroads where
You make it sound so right
But for the kiss I'm missing
You're right it's hot and cold now
And that becomes our distance
When the magic comes
And the shit subsides
Then you're on your way
And our ship sets sails
To the harbor cries
On a leyline where
If I could find it in a shop
You know I'd have to buy it
Some people buy a church
But moribund will find them
When the magic comes
And the shit subsides
Then you're on your way
And our ship sets sail
To the harbor cries
To the crossroads where
On the surface, "On the Leyline Waiting" by Ocean Colour Scene may seem like a nonsensical song, with lyrics that don't seem to make any sense. However, upon closer inspection, the song actually tells a story about the search for magic and a better life. The first stanza talks about the creation of new words, which is symbolic of the search for something different and unique. The second stanza talks about the presence of shadows hanging over us, which represents the struggles and problems we face in life. This too shall pass, as the song suggests that when the magic comes and the shit subsides, we can set sail to a better place where we want to be.
The chorus repeats the message of the second stanza, with the hope and promise of magic on the horizon. The third stanza talks about searching for something special, something that can make us happy. And while we may have different ideas about what that is, Ocean Colour Scene suggests that they would buy it if they could find it in a shop. This line captures the essence of consumerism and our constant search for something to fulfill our desires. The song ends with the chorus and the suggestion that we are all waiting on the leyline for our chance at something magical.
Line by Line Meaning
We invent new words
We create new terminology to bring originality to our language
Just, so that we can use them
Solely for the purpose of using them, we make up these words
There's shadows hanging over me now
I am currently feeling a sense of darkness surrounding me
It's on the leyline waiting
Whatever is causing this shadowy feeling is present and waiting for me
When the magic comes
At a moment of wonder and amazement
And the shit subsides
When the unpleasantness dissipates
Then you're on your way
At this point, you are ready to embark on your journey
And our ship sets sail
Together, we are setting out towards our destination
To the harbor cries
We are following the calls and sounds of the harbor
To the crossroads where
We will make our decisions at the point where paths diverge
You make it sound so right
You articulate this thought as if it's correct
But for the kiss I'm missing
There's a specific missing element, such as a kiss, that makes your argument incomplete
You're right it's hot and cold now
You make a valid point though the situation is inconsistent or unpredictable
And that becomes our distance
This inconsistency leads to a perceived gap between us
If I could find it in a shop
If I could purchase what I'm searching for
You know I'd have to buy it
It's so important to me that I would definitely have to obtain it
Some people buy a church
There are individuals who spend a significant sum of money on sacred spaces
But moribund will find them
However, those who are doomed or dying will find themselves in these places of worship
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: OSCAR LLOYD HARRISON, SIMON GEOFFREY FOWLER, STEPHEN JOHN CRADOCK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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