Oceansize

With the doors opening over an hour and a half late, and a cold, wet and exceedingly grumpy crowd slowly filtering through the doors, The Cooper Temple Clause’s first supports of the night had a lot of rock-orientated cheering up to do if this gig was to be put back on-track.

No sooner had I positioned myself in a place close enough that one so small as myself could actually see anything, than my jaw was on the floor in amazement. I can honestly say that I’ve never entered a venue having never even heard of a particular support band before, and left later that evening with a new favourite band. Everything about Oceansize is simply stunning.

Some bands play their instruments to make noise; they bang out regular chords and predictable melodies like there’s no tomorrow, and whilst the end result can be enjoyable, it’s hardly inspiring. A guitar however, can also be used as a complex musical tool. This band seem to have gone over every part of their instruments with such respect, exploring them and experimenting to find ways of creating noises that I didn’t even know existed. Even their voices are used in the upper-most subtle and delicate ways to create further instrumental effect.

When effortlessly down-tuning a guitar onstage, with the second guitarist slowly starting to play over that, tuning the guitar then starts to actually form part of the song; this is when you realise just what an inspiring, poignant, intelligent young talent you are witnessing. It’s a sound that layers itself to create such emotional intensity, guiding you through different aspects of music, from glittery, relaxing instrumental interludes, to outbursts of full on heavy guitar rawkin’, when a Brandon Boyd inspired voice brings in the odd catchy melody, just as the icing on the cake.

I went to this gig with just enough money to buy a nice shiny new The Cooper Temple Clause T-shirt, but instead came back with Oceansize’s latest EP, ‘A Very Still Movement'. Easily one of the best bands I’ve witnessed in a long time, and the first band I’ve allowed myself to get this excited about since the first time I saw My Vitriol. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that says you wont be hearing a hell of a lot more from these five Mancunian young men who go by the name of Oceansize.