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)
Saturday
Ocean Colour Scene Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And your clock strikes a blow and a warning
'Cos you're only at the weekend living
And your wife and friends are unforgiving
There's a cut in your face off your shaving
In the mirror in the sea a man is waving
He's remarkably like you so he's worth saving
I don't go for that
My name is Saturday
I'm the girl in the car/drunk afternoon
I'm the drink at the bar
I'm plenty
I don't go for that
My name is Saturday
I am dressed for the night
I'm the radio on
I'm twenty
The lyrics to Ocean Colour Scene's Saturday tell the story of a man who is stuck in the monotony of his weekday routine. The cold blue hello of Monday morning is a stark contrast to the warmth and freedom of the weekends. The man's clock serves as a warning that he is back to the grindstone, and he is reminded of the fact that his wife and friends are unforgiving in their expectations of him. The metaphor of the cut on his face from shaving represents the pain of the routine and how it is wearing him down. In the mirror, he sees a man waving, who he realizes is himself, and he recognizes that he needs saving. However, blaming himself or being blamed by his wife and friends will not help him escape his weekday routine.
The chorus introduces the character of Saturday, who is a stark contrast to the singer's weekday life. She is a carefree, wild, and adventurous character who is the opposite of the mundane reality that the man faces daily. She is dressed for the night, free to drink at the bar, and she is the radio. The name "Saturday" is symbolic of the weekend's freedom and represents a way out of the man's monotonous weekday routine.
Line by Line Meaning
It's a cold blue hello Monday morning
The start of every week is depressing and unwelcoming
And your clock strikes a blow and a warning
The sound of the alarm clock signifies the start of another mundane week
'Cos you're only at the weekend living
Life is too short to only enjoy just the weekends
And your wife and friends are unforgiving
Your loved ones are not supportive of your weekend lifestyle
There's a cut in your face off your shaving
The act of shaving is small yet painful reminder of your mundane life
In the mirror in the sea a man is waving
A reflection in the mirror represents the ideal version of oneself
He's remarkably like you so he's worth saving
It's worth trying to become a better version of oneself
And your wife and your friends do all the blaming
Your loved ones blame your weekend lifestyle for your lack of success
I don't go for that
I do not agree with their way of thinking
My name is Saturday
I represent the joy and freedom of the weekend
I'm the girl in the car/drunk afternoon
I'm the carefree feeling of driving around on a sunny afternoon or drinking with friends
I'm the drink at the bar
I'm the relaxing feeling of enjoying a drink at a bar
I'm plenty
I represent the abundance of good times that can be had on the weekend
I am dressed for the night
I'm ready to enjoy the fun of nightlife on the weekend
I'm the radio on
I'm the soundtrack to your weekend
I'm twenty
I represent the youth and energy of the ideal weekend lifestyle
Contributed by Eva R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
alison grover
just the best band in the world been a fan for so many years and i just love them
Heijoon Chyung
OCS is the last remaining true MOD band, amongst a dying breed...
Frédéric RIBOT
So true!
kay coombe
@dthocs .... i was there both nites in glasgow and they were immense .. as always ,,,, cant wait till feb ... love them so much
Steven crainie
8th December Glasgow. Can't wait first time seeing ocs. I'm sure it's going to be emence.
Malachi2020
Another catchy tune from OCS
Eli Roberts
Top top tune love ocs
alison grover
@emmaoxo101 seen them so many times and they just get better and better i love them
Dean Hill
@fidski I couldn't have put it any better my self the greatest band of my generation saw them live feb in southampton they were amazing
Mark fleming
utter brilliance!!!!! mods.