Australian rock band, Ocean Alley, are set to play Exeter’s Great Hall tonight, and I had the pleasure of chatting to their guitarist, Mitch Galbraith, ahead of the show. From their Dublin performance yesterday, the band and their support act, Hockey Dad, are playing along the conveniently beachy south coast, before heading to Europe’s bustling capitals.
We discussed everything from fan culture, to lockdowns, to how to properly drink a Guinness and I’ve got to say, we all need to take a page out of their discography, drop the business-oriented lifestyle, and make time for the beach… or a gig.
As he talks about the band its clear they are his family, (some literally), and it’s in their brotherhood, their ethos of living in the present, that defines their brand.
Ocean Alley certainly match Exeter’s aesthetic. Shaggy hair. Chasing waves. That Low Altitude Life. There’s something very carefree and spirited about Mitch. As he talks about the band its clear they are his family, (some literally), and it’s in their brotherhood, their ethos of living in the present, which defines their brand. They’re a rock band. Yes. But they’re also ‘best mates’, travelling and exploring together. They’re just lyrically fortunate enough to do it regularly.
Mitch ensures me they’re ‘excited’ to get back to touring. Whilst it’s only been a month home in Byron Bay, NSW, since their US tour ended, they’ve ‘changed up the setlist a bit’, reminded themselves how to play ‘songs [they] haven’t played for a while’ and are raring to go.
For the last few days, they could be found drinking in the culture of Dublin. After 6 months of training, they still can’t beat Hockey Dad’s drummer Billy when it comes to splitting the G on a Guinness. But next they head to Exeter, and I was keen to know whether they’d end up at one of our glorious beaches.
The answer was of course yes. Though the water will definitely be ‘a bit colder than back home,’ the guys will get themselves to the sea ‘for a swim at least’ and if they managed to get away, hopefully they’re out shredding now in Newquay or Croyde.
Exeter and Brighton are ‘so fun, always full of young people, all the uni towns […] it’s always good fun there.’
Mitch Galbraith
Mitch shared his love for the southeast of England. He said coastal cities, but particularly Exeter and Brighton are ‘so fun, always full of young people, all the uni towns […] it’s always good fun there.’
They’ve promised to debut a new song on the tour, ‘one noone’s ever heard at these live shows.’ Whilst I couldn’t get the track’s title out of him, Mitch says it will be out by the end of the year. Just last week they were in the studio recording, making an album release this summer a real possibility.
The creative process of making music, and the joys of touring seems to come naturally to Ocean Alley. When they’re not playing for their fans, they’re in the demo studio they’ve built, bouncing ‘back and forth.’ They are ‘inspired by everything,’ and prefer to ‘be in a room together’ when creating new music.
That sense of togetherness, of living and experiencing the music, is crucial to the band. During lockdown, they were able to travel to isolated places, BnBs, and would ’lock in.’ Much of Low Altitude Living, their 2022 album, was created during lockdown. Whilst it ‘fucked up touring quite a bit,’ like many musicians, the isolation provided a bubble to create. But, as Mitch said: ‘We don’t need any extra bonding experience, we’re all pretty close as it is.’
The album may be two years old, but it still ‘reflects the fact that [they] grew up by the coast’: ‘we’re still kinda living that lifestyle and I’m sure that comes off in our music.’
They suddenly had Liverpool FC, Wimbledon, David Beckham and Ferrari using their track in videos.
Ocean Alley‘s most successful song, Confidence, from their 2018 album Chiaroscuro, had a second shot in the spotlight after TikTok took hold of it. It was ‘a massive breakthrough’ for the band. It won them the hottest 100, and they ‘enjoy all the benefits’ that going viral has provided for them. They get ‘better exposure and to play bigger shows, that have been growing ever since.’ They suddenly had Liverpool FC, Wimbledon, David Beckham and Ferrari using their track in videos.
Whilst they see the issues with licensing, they’re carefree attitude comes through again here: ‘it’s not something you can feel angry about because it’s just the case, I think all musicians have to adapt.’
‘I think all musicians have to adapt.’
Mitch Galbraith
The band have since recieved some interesting attention of social media, for instance, that they wear wigs under their hats. I can confirm, after Mitch actually took his hat off and tugged at his hair as evidence, it is real. ‘We might have to wear wigs eventually, when our hair starts to fall out, but for now… its still on there!’
He went on to tell me about the importance of live shows. ‘I don’t think there will ever be a time where seeing a proper rock band on stage will be replaced by anything else. I mean that visceral feeling of it all- and watching the people on stage, that nature of sometimes things fuck up- it’s just true and raw, it’s never gonna die I don’t think.’
Mitch appeared so grateful for Confidence going viral. With 2.9 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the song has made them recognisable, and provided the opportunity to tour so often, the fans keep coming because of Confidence.
I asked Mitch about Chappell Roan’s recent comments on fan culture and taking photos with your fans. Roan had said: ‘I don’t care that this type of behaviour comes along with the job […] it doesn’t make it normal.’ Mitch’s response was considered. He highlighted how each band, each individual, is different, ‘if you don’t want to, that’s alright and fans should understand that. For us if it means so much for fans to get a photo with us […] we’re more than happy to do that.’
‘There are two reasons why we play. Half is for ourselves, because we enjoy it, the other half is for all our wonderful fans that have supported us our whole music careers. In our opinion, we owe it to them. We only have positive experiences with our fans, and we want to thank them for that.’
‘We only have positive experiences with our fans, and we want to thank them for that.’
Mitch Galbraith
Ocean Alley plays like a tribute to sunny mornings in coastal towns, a summer soundtrack, bringing people together through music. The hope of a new album should get fans through the cold winter months, as they dream about getting back to the waves.
If you’re in need of that visceral feeling of a concert, of being in a crowd and screaming the lyrics, there are still a few very limited seated tickets for tonight’s perfomance in Exeter’s Great Hall, or head to one of their other shows this September. Get your tickets here.
