Aussie national treasures Ocean Alley have just kicked off their AUS/NZ headline tour with support act Winston Surfshirt. Starting in New Zealand, this tour will see them play twelve shows, including three music festivals and venues spanning from Auckland’s massive Spark Arena to Melbourne’s quaint but classic Forum. But that’s not all, you’ll also have the chance to catch Ocean Alley at Spilt Milk across all four dates, which starts on November 25th, just two weeks after their tour wraps up.
I had the chance to chat with Lach from the band about what’s in store for the tour, as well as what’s next for Ocean Alley for the rest of 2023.
You guys have had a super busy year; how are you going? What are the vibes in the band like at the moment?
Yeah, you’re right; we have had a really busy year! But, you know, it’s always good to be that kind of busy- we love doing what we do. We love being on the road and playing music and seeing interesting places and meeting interesting people. We’re all great, you know. We’re all just so- we’re always so stoked and happy to be able to do this full time. And everyone’s in such a great head space, and we’ve got this big Australian tour coming up, which is going to be really awesome. Some of the biggest shows we’ve played! So yeah, there’s a lot to look forward to.
That’s great! I’m sure it must be tiring but it’s great to hear that you’re all in a good place right now. I know you guys just wrapped up your North American/Canadian tour, how do you find the crowd reception to the band in comparison to playing an Aussie show?
It’s different between each city, not even necessarily each country. Cities within the USA and Canada can vary on the intensity of the crowd to the people are just like, keen on engaging. I must say, I do give props to the American audience because they just love getting involved and love being a part of the show. I’m not saying that, you know, Australia and Europe and the rest of the world don’t, but they really go for it, you know, they’re out there, they’re making signs, and they’re screaming and singing along, buying as much merch as they can. They’re just so happy to be a part of the performance. But, you know, it’s it’s a different vibe to the shows here back home. Everyone’s just there to have a good time and just get along and and enjoy themselves. Of course, it’s hard to really pinpoint the big differences, but I feel like when you’re up there It’s more than you can kind of describe. Of course, nothing beats playing back at home, though, I must say.
You guys have played quite a few festivals this year, and you’ve got even more coming up as part of your tour too, what is it about festivals that you guys seem to love so much?
Well, a number of things. For me personally, it’s the energy backstage in the artist area. You get to meet all the other artists- people that you’ve seen before, or people that you haven’t met. You always get looked after so well at the festival as well. All the artist liaisons are super accommodating. And also you get the opportunity to play to other people who may not have bought a ticket to your own show. But they might be waiting to see another artist and they might walk past and hear you, so there’s so many positive affects of playing a festival. We just love it. We just love the energy and love being a part of something bigger and, you know, isn’t directly affiliated to us. It’s nice being part of a bigger picture and just the look when you’re out on stage on everyone’s face and just enjoying themselves, you know, it’s something that you remember.
Are there any particular festivals that you’re looking forward to this year, or do they kind of just blur into one?
I feel like they definitely blur into one after we’ve played them. I feel like if if you asked me to recall a festival I played this year because I’d be like, “oh, which one was that? When was that?” You know, It all feels like one. But there’s one coming up soon called The Wanderer festival, and that’s down in the south coast of New South Wales. And I don’t think any of us guys have been down there before. So that’s just gonna be, like, really fun to go to a new place, play to a different crowd, and I’m pretty sure the festival is like 50 metres walk from the beach. So it’s just gonna be fun, and of course we love the beach and love surfing, so that’s one I think that’s standing out more than the others.
When you’re touring overseas, do you feel as though you really get a chance to experience the country or city that you’re in?
Yeah, that’s a good question. It depends on what the schedule is like, you know, you gotta wake up, you gotta load in the gear, do the sound check, play the show. There is a schedule to it. But sometimes within that schedule, it’s hard to kind of get out and do your own thing. We do have little days off in between…we all try to individually get out throughout the day, walk, explore the city we’re in, eat somewhere unique or go see the sights. It can be hard, especially if you’re feeling really tired or just a bit run down because with limited time, it’s like, “do I get up and and push it and go and see something? Because I probably won’t be back here in a year Or maybe not at all.” So, it’s a it’s a fun balance.
You gotta play with the balance of just retaining your energy so you can get through the whole tour. But also, you know, we’re adventurous people. We want to go out and try new things, and see what’s going on. I imagine a lot of other bands and our peers would agree with us that you can’t get the best of both worlds. Not all the time,
Were there any stand out places or experiences in your recent European and North American/Canadian tours?
Well, recently for the North American and Canada tour, I think a stand out for us would have Would have been Vancouver. We played at the Malcolm Bowl, and that was the biggest show we played in Canada. There was a 2400 people there, and it was like in this cool outdoor amphitheatre and this beautiful garden. And actually, to go back to your last question, I spent all day like walking around this beautiful little island. And there was this rain forest and these lakes and stuff. So I got to go out and see a lot of the a lot of the places we were at, and and we had an awesome show and, you know, the Canadians- they were going wild.
On your upcoming Aus/NZ tour, you’ve got a real variety of venues. You’re playing a few festivals, and you’ve got venues like Spark Arena and John Cain Arena, but you’ve recently added a show at The Forum in Melbourne- how did this come about and why did you guys choose such a different venue?
Well, when John Cain sold out, we were thinking, “OK, there’s still a lot of interest shown in the Melbourne crowd,” and we were thinking, “Do we add on another John?” It’s quite a big room to fill, so there was kind of two minds about it. The first was like, “well, we’re not sure if we can start another John.” And then we played at the forum and we love the venue. It’s a fantastic venue, right in the middle of the city, and it also kind of provides a bit more of an intimate setting.
So we’ve been kind of tossing up the fact maybe we’ll change up the set, maybe we’ll do some different things. Something unique. We’re not sure yet. I know it’s almost five minutes to midnight, but yeah, we just thought it’s such an iconic venue- everyone knows it. We’re excited for that one.
In terms of your setlist for the upcoming tour, what can we expect? Will you guys be doing the same set as your EU/USA/CAD tours?
There is gonna be a brand new stage set up. We’ve got some really nice set pieces- some new unique set piece that are gonna be involved that people can look forward to. And it’s gonna be a bit of a mix of stuff that we’ve been recently playing overseas. Also, it was our 10 year anniversary for the Yellow Mellow EP a couple of weeks ago, so we’re gonna do a throw back to some of those older tracks- the ones that people always like. Otherwise, it’s just gonna be primarily the Low Altitude Living album, which is our most recent catalogue. And the style of the show is gonna be mostly based around that, with, of course, exceptions to a bit of the older stuff. But it should be It should be exciting. There’s gonna be something in there for everyone. And we just can’t wait to get up there and play for them.
What’s next for you guys? Will you be taking a much needed break or is there anything else in the works?
Yeah, well, no rest for the wicked. I must say, we’re pretty tanked up until the end of the year. And then when it comes around the festival season, we’re gonna be heading to New Zealand to play some shows over there. We’ll be doing a few Aussie things here and there. I think we’ve kind of allocated a bit of a break for us after January next year. So that’ll be some down time, which we are very much looking forward to. But as the weather starts to get warmer and people start to enjoy being outside a bit more, that’s when we really start to lift off.
Ocean Alley Tour Dates
Sun 1st Oct – Wanderer Festival , Pambula Beach – TICKETS
Fri 6th Oct – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – TICKETS – SOLD OUT
Sat 7th Oct – Hordern Pavilion, Sydney – TICKETS – SOLD OUT
Wed 11th Oct – The Forum, Melbourne – TICKETS
Fri 13th Oct – John Cain Arena, Melbourne – TICKETS
Sat 14th Oct – Yours & Owls Festival, Wollongong – TICKETS
Sat 21st Oct – Red Hill Auditorium – Perth – TICKETS – SOLD OUT
Sun 22nd Oct – Red Hill Auditorium – Perth – TICKETS
Sat 28th Oct – Harvest Rock Festival – Adelaide – TICKETS
Thu 9th Nov – Riverstage, Brisbane – TICKETS
Fri 10th Nov – Riverstage, Brisbane – TICKETS – SOLD OUT
Sat 25th Nov – Spilt Milk, Canberra – TICKETS
Sun 26th Nov – Spilt Milk, Gold Coast – TICKETS
Sat 2nd Dec – Spilt Milk, Ballarat – TICKTS
Sun 3rd Dec – Spilt Milk, Perth – TICKETS
Sat 9th Dec – Rolling Set Festival, Central Coast – TICKETS
Wed 27th Dec – Le Currents Festival, Taupō, New Zealand – TICKETS
Fri 29th Dec – Rock The Bowl, New Plymouth, NZ – TICKETS
Sun 31st Dec – Rhythm & Alps, Wānaka, NZ – TICKETS
Wed 3rd Jan – Shake & Bake, Wellington, NZ – TICKETS
Fri 5th Jan – Beach Break, Whangamatā, NZ – TICKETS
Be sure to stream Low Altitude Living wherever you listen and support the guys and keep up to date by following them on instagram.
