Live Review: Ocean Colour Scene, Stillia

British Britpop legends Ocean Colour Scene played to an enthusiastic crowd at The Gov on a warm Tuesday night.

Supported by Stillia, a Northern English four-piece fusion of indie rock with obvious influence from Oasis and The Stone Roses, the crowd at The Gov are treated to some young St Helens guitar-based rock'n'roll that would warm the cockles of any '90s Britpopper's heart.

Without much fanfare the four current members of Ocean Colour Scene — lead guitarist and keyboardist Steve Cradock, frontman Simon Fowler, bassist Raymond Meade and Union Jacked, bucket-hatted drummer Oscar Harrison — graced the stage and without delay kicked into their classic The Riverboat Song to the crowd's rapturous applause. Fowler, though older, looked to be in fine form and jokingly asked the crowd, "Who was at last night's Take That concert?" proclaiming his "tongue in cheek" adoration for said boy band's member Mark Owen.

The predominately 40-plus, Fred Perry, Doc Marten-wearing Mod brigade sang along with gusto to Ocean Colour Scene's notable tracks such as Lining Your Pockets and Policemen And Pirates. Cradock, often credited as one of England's leading guitarists and well known for his association with another English Mod legend Paul Weller, played left of stage while occasionally swapping his Gibson for a Roland keyboard. The band continued to have the audience mesmerised with numbers like One For The Road and It's My Shadow. Harrison and Meade kept the heavy rocksteady '60s beat happening throughout the night.

A highlight of the evening came with the introduction of the classic Beatles cover Day Tripper, which had the capacity crowd in full melodic voice, followed by the writhing, riff-tastic Hundred Mile High City and the melancholic Robin Hood, which had a cheeky verse of Oasis' Live Forever melded into the outro.

Finishing off the night to cheers and applause from the obviously sated crowd, Ocean Colour Scene closed with the Mod classic The Day We Caught The Train, which propelled them into Britpop stardom just over 20 years ago.