Ocean Alley

Looking back on the year that they had in 2018, which saw them play a whopping 96 live shows around the globe, you could forgive Ocean Alley for using 2019 as a year of rest, recuperation, writing and recording. However, when you look at the band’s schedule and achievements already this year it certainly doesn’t look like they’ll be slowing down any time soon.

The band from Sydney kicked off the year by taking out the top spot in the annual Triple J Hottest 100 with their song, Confidence. To make this achievement even more impressive though they also had songs from their second album, Chiaroscuro, charting in the 100th, 16th and 10th spots. When City Hub spoke with guitarist Mitch Galbraith we asked if they realised how special this record was when they were recording.

“Even before anybody else had heard it we definitely believed it was our best work so far,” answered Galbraith before adding, “We’ve been so overwhelmed by the massive support.”

With this wave of momentum now behind them, the band is looking ahead to numerous live tours, which could potentially see them topping last year’s figures.

“Playing live is when we have the most fun and get to connect with our audience. It was fantastic last year so maybe we can do even better this year. If we see the number getting close to 100 maybe we’ll just book a couple of extra shows at the end of the year to get it over the line.”

In order to be able to perform such a high number of live shows Ocean Alley lean heavily on their support staff, who they are also incredibly appreciative of. Galbraith explained that this was a major reason why the band chose to be involved in the recent Don’t Kill Live Music rally in Sydney.

“We chose to take part because first of all these decisions affect us directly, but more importantly it also affects all of the crew and staff we work with, it affects the punters and the many other parts of the economy as well.”

Mar 8-10. Hordern Pavilion, 1 Driver Ave, Moore Park. $89.90+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.playbillvenues.com.au