Live Review: Ocean Alley @ The Foundry

Sydney outfit Ocean Alley gave Brisbane a raging and energetic show last Saturday night at The Foundry as part of their ‘Lost Tropics’ album tour across the East Coast. The 6-piece hit the stage with an onslaught of screaming and adoring fans ready for their show to begin, with the venue almost at spilling point.

The moment Lemonworld began, lead vocalist Baden Donegal hardly had to sing as the crowd took it away screaming each and every single word, “And you wanna say/ You love me/ But you’re not here no more/ And I’ve got to let it/ ‘Cause I know I’m not with you no more”. Freedom Lover spiked the energy with the capturing deep bass beginning and reggae tempo, leaving the crowd shrieking and jumping around while Lach Galbraith’s trippy organ intervals worked perfectly with Donegal’s raspy vocals.

The mosh began heating up to the track, calling out the cheeky lyrics to the band “Wish you were giving me head/ Then I could sleep day”.

Holiday takes you exactly to that tropical, summery place of your dreams even if you’re sweating and jumping around in a tight space like The Foundry. Again, the crowd took the spotlight singing every lyric, “Oh, carry me home/ ‘Cause I’m on holiday/ With you/ I’m on holiday”, the moment the bright, bouncing rhythmic guitar riff by Mitch Galbraith began. With a few quick sips of their beers, the guys headed straight back into it with their heavier track Those Daze from their last EP ‘In Purple’. The mosh began heating up to the track, calling out the cheeky lyrics to the band “Wish you were giving me head/ Then I could sleep day”.

Hold On, the second track from ‘Lost Tropics’, had couples holding tightly onto each other as the fast paced beginning led into a slower rhythmic tune at the chorus. It was bass guitarist Nic Blom’s slow beckoning riffs and drummer Tom O’Brien’s underlying beat that lead into Muddy Water. Despite the slow start, the song quickly livened up sending the crowd into a frenzy. Millionaires took us all to a place we knew of disobedience, rebellion, and feeling as if were rich even without any money with its peppy rhythm. As Feel played out Donegal began moving around encouraging the crowd to become even wilder in their moshing.

Pretty Little Devil with its more bluesy rock light sound played from their EP ‘In Purple’, demonstrates the band’s wide-ranging styles from reggae to deeper, more emotive music. The guys hardly let the pace slow down as quickly led into Fly On The Wall, the ninth track from ‘Lost Tropics’. The crowd couldn’t help but become even rowdier with the smooth reggae riffs and O’Brien’s lively backing drum beat.

“The mosh thrashed about with a fan crowd surfing over the musically fuelled chaos and another jumping to the stage to dance with the band.”

Space Goat with its jumping tempo and psych-rock guitar riffs led the crowd into a psychotic haze. The mosh thrashed about with a fan crowd surfing over the musically fuelled chaos and another jumped onstage to dance with the band. Stripes In My Mind the sixth track from ‘Lost Tropics’ kept the thrashing fans going as the deep drum beat and synth guitar riffs bounced off the walls of The Foundry.

After some kind words from Lach Galbraith, “You guys, are f*cking crazy. I swear you get crazier every time we are here! We f*cking love it!”, they played out their final song. Sleepwalking, brought the crowd to the breaking point of exhilarated insanity with a wild a circle pit breaking out. Fans were flailing and jumping around so hard you could feel the entire floor rumbling. Come back soon fellas!

Ocean Alley’s latest album ‘Lost Tropics’ is out now!