oceanOpening the Green Stage today was UK band, Ocean Color Scene.  It’s been a while since they graced such a big stage, but the band’s experience and their pleasant nature made for a very entertaining performance and a good way to begin the day.

This Birmingham band have had a collection of records that failed to live up to earlier hype, but when condensed into the 45 minute festival format, it was tasty fare, with solid song after song with no filler. At its best, the band harken back to a nostalgic period of  Britpop, an era known for equal parts  anthems and  ballads.  While Ocean Colour Scene certainly aren’t Oasis, they have a solid sound with Simon Fowler providing top notch vocals that are a perfect fit for such a big stage, giving his music just enough room to roam about.  And, there were plenty of fans in attendance. Its a long road back for this band who are trying to recapture the magic from their  landmark albums Moseley Shoals and Marchin’ Already. But then again, this band seems like they are up for any challenge, and more than happy to prove that Britpop is far from dead.