While the rain may have been gushing down in Auckland last night, you could tell a hint of summer was on the horizon - and there was only one band who could bring the warm-weathered vibes to our rain-stricken city.
Ocean Alley rocked out at Spark Arena lastnight with some of their iconic hits, new tracks and, all in all, immaculate jams - bringing that sweet summer sound to Tāmaki Makaurau.
Born in the Northern Beaches of Australia in a backyard shed, the band formed in 2011 in what could only be described as humble beginnings. Little did they know, they would become a Kiwi classic.
“Many moons ago, we were playing for about 50 people”, lead singer Baden Donegal confessed to the packed stadium. “Now we’re playing for 5500″, later on revealing that this is their “biggest show here in New Zealand”.
Twelve years and a Triple-J number-one hit later, Ocean Alley has become what you might call a household name for many, particularly at summer parties, beach barbeques and many arvo drinks.
Ocean Alley has become what you might call a household name for many. Photo / Tyler Bell
The band kicked off their set with Touch Back Down off of their latest album Low Altitude Living, a product of the Covid lockdowns. Songs such as Double Vision and Snake Eyes from the new record revealed that oozy Ocean Alley sound that we’ve come to know and love and the crowd melted into a jelly-like bounce.
Of course, amid some of the newer songs were their most iconic tracks. Knees had the audience in a dance, Holiday had them in a frenzy and by the time Mellow Yellow filled the stadium, friends were hugging, smiling and expressing words of love to each other.
While the arena was chock-a-block and the crowd was uncomfortably hot, Aucklanders seemed to welcome the humid heat, relishing in that soon-to-be summer feeling, singing along to their favourite summer tracks.
Perhaps what was most striking about the show was the smiles on faces, arms around shoulders and general good vibes in a sardine-packed crowd who didn’t mind a shove or two. If this is a taste of summer, we can’t wait to dive in come December.
Another notable feature of the concert was... well... the rugby.
“Up The Wahs” filled the stadium and phones started to light up out of the darkness with the match in real-time. What was most captivating were the fans singing along to every word while completely fixated on the NRL preliminary final on their screens - until the very end.
Whether it be commitment to the cause or just questionable priorities, you have to give it to us: nothing gets in the way of Kiwis and their rugga. And, apparently, Ocean Alley is a bird of the same feather.
“Many moons ago, we were playing for about 50 people. Now we’re playing for 5,500″. Photo / Tyler Bell
A few more “Up The Wahs” and some cruisy tunes later, Ocean Alley finished their set with summer anthem Confidence and knee-bobber Baby Come Back, encoring with Partner in Crime and Lemonworld.
There was no better excuse to skip the rugby and shelter from the miserable stormy weather than with our favourite feel-good band playing our favourite summer songs all night long.
And while we may have lost the rugga, we scored a pretty great night jamming with our friends from across the pond instead.
