13 October 2023 – John Cain Arena, Melbourne – words by Sarah Gorozidis – pictures by Paris Gorozidis
First support of the night was Sydney’s Le Shiv, an indie rock 5 piece who rocked the roof off of John Cain Arena. The band is made up of Pencil on vocals and guitar, Moss on lead guitar, Jarleth on bass, Chris on drums and Alquice on the keys.
They were the heavier band of the night which added a bit of contrast to the mix which I like because sometimes bands construct a lineup that all sound very similar. These guys are definitely an up and coming group that I see taking over festival line ups and supporting some iconic names in the near future.
The next support was Winston Surfshirt. I had heard of them but never listened to any of their music or seen what they look like as a band, so it was all left to my imagination what I was to expect from the band. In my head I was preparing myself for a surf rock band due to their name, Winston Surfshirt. Although I was surprised to discover they are a hip hop band. Winston lead vocalist of the group possessed high nasally vocals adding something different to the sound it added a funky feel to their music.
After the show I was doing some research on Winston Surfshirt and it didn’t surprise me to find out that they have collabed with artists including Genisis Owusu and Young Franco. Their set was very fun, everyone was up and dancing as they hyped the crowd up for the main event, Ocean Alley. The winds section of the band really added a jazzy funk edge to their sound which I really enjoyed. At the end of their set Winston hopped on security’s shoulders and freestyled to his heart’s content.
As I turned up to Olympic Park just before the doors were going to be open, the Ocean Alley line was tangled around KIA arena and close to Rod Laver Arena. It was an understatement to say that Melbourne were keen to see the legendary band from the northern beaches of Sydney.
Beginning their set with ‘Touch Back Down’ from their latest album Low Altitude Living it certainly set the tone and mood for the rest of the night. From the top to the end of the show everyone was grooving especially from the 3rd song onwards when they played ‘Knees’ it really started setting in.
The set design for this tour was very classy and made it feel as intimate as it could be in an Arena. Three chandeliers hung from the roof over the stage and there was a mustard curtain across the back of the stage. It made me feel like I was in an old Victorian era mansion, especially when the lighting was warmer tones of yellow, oranges and reds. At times the lights on the chandeliers were insync with the music making each beat hit just a little harder. Along with this, the projectors on either side of the stage were in black and white which reminded me of old time black and white movies especially with the fade transitions between shots.
Midway through the set they took it back to some early songs such as ‘Yellow Mellow’ which had the crowd screaming along to the lyrics. Although some argue that arena shows ruin the experience, Ocean Alley were made for it, their dreamy delays, exquisite vocals and raunchy guitar riffs echoed around the arena which I think just enhanced their sound and the audience experience. Coming back for a two song encore of ‘Partner In Crime’ and ‘Lemonworld’, all in all Ocean Alley did not disappoint Melbourne’s sold out John Cain Arena.
