Ocean Alley at the De La Warr Pavilion
Live Gig Review
Date: 22/06/2023
Venue: De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill
Band: Ocean Alley
Overshadowed by it’s bigger sisters Brighton and Hastings, Bexhill is sometimes a forgotten town nestled on the Sussex seaside, but not tonight. The De La Warr Pavilion plays host to Australian Psych Rock band Ocean Alley.
The longest day has been and gone, and now we must slowly await the return of dark evenings and bitter mornings, but don't let that get you down. Ocean Alley are here to provide us with energy and good vibes
Ocean Alley are an Australian alternate psych-rock band consisting of members: Angus Goodwin, Tom O'Brien, Mitch Galbraith, Baden Donegal, Nic Blom and Lach Galbraith.
Hailing from New South Wales, the band blend a chill reggae sound with smooth vocals and an indie rock groove. 'Confidence' from their album Chiaroscuro is a great example of this mellow sound.
It is evident that the band have a huge following in Australia and the surrounding territories, garnering a number of gold certified singles in their home country. Their sound is now reaching ears further afield, with 1.45 million monthly listeners on spotify.
On the night, we are treated to: a mixture of songs from their latest release Low Altitude Living as well as a smattering from their back catalogue .
The sound is excellent and well rehearsed, a clear indication that the band have been performing together for years. There are some fantastic lighting effects on show too.
The crowd is full of fans sporting mullets, moustaches and baggy t-shirts, all singing along to the groove and vocals laid out by front-man Baden Donegal. There is a little call and response as he calls out "F******g ayy Bexhill" and the audience parrot back with "F*****ng ayy"
'Knees' is a definite crowd pleaser, getting the Bexhill faithful up and about, waving finger guns in the air. The aforementioned 'confidence' also gets a strong reception amongst the fans, and it is easy to see why when the band are rocking out on the pavilion stage.
The gig is over all to quickly and everyone heads for home chilled out and no doubt ringing with earworms from the last few hours.
Ocean Alley are jetting around on a European tour, if they find themselves jamming in a venue near you, they are well worth a watch...
