21

The Ocean Colour Scene story should already be the stuff of legend; a rip-roaring rock'n'folk odyssey set to a backdrop of 21 years of U.K pop culture at its very best. In this 21 year existence Ocean Colour Scene have notched up nine albums, three of which went Top 5 - 1996's Moseley Shoals, 1997's Marchin' Already and 1999's One From The Modern - and a run of nine successive Top 20 hit singles commencing with 1996's The Riverboat Song. They supported Oasis at their massive Knebworth shows that same year, and two years later helmed the biggest arena tour of any UK band to date. Today they headline venues as prestigious as London's Royal Albert Hall (see current tour dates below). Their achievements have truly been phenomenal. From their days as Breton-shirt wearing disciples of The Stone Roses (debut single 'Sway') to million selling Britpop superstars ('Marchin' Already' bumped Oasis' 'What the Story' from the top spot in 1997) to long-term touring allies with Paul Weller, their story is inseparable from the greats of modern British rock. To mark this 21 year anniversary Universal Records release "21" a beautifully packaged boxed set of 4 CDs featuring previously unreleased tracks and a brand new song entitled "21". The box set will be released on 11th October. There will also be a 1CD cut down of the box set which will be a new 'Best Of'. With the release of their ninth and most recent album Saturday in February 2010 and with a new release in the offing next year, this four CD box set isn't a full stop but a celebration of their career up to this point. Spanning alternate takes on early singles to present day album cuts taking in live tracks, sessions and rarities plus a new song 21, the collection is a great way to raise a glass to the Birmingham boys' coming of age.