Ocean Colour Scene proved they've still got it 21 years into their career when they rocked Victoria Hall recently. Playing a mixture of old and new, no-one at the venue was left disappointed with their slick performance, writes Sarah-Jane Lynch

I CAUGHT up with guitarist Steve Cradock, before their Hanley gig for a chat about Saturday, the current tour and the album of the same name, and to see if he was looking forward to playing in Stoke.

He says: "Our first gig was actually in Stoke. It was at an old pub called the Wheatsheaf in 1989, but I'm pretty sure it's closed down. We like playing in Stoke as the crowd are mental, really really brilliant.

"The tour has been going really well. We've been up in Scotland and Bradford and a few other places, and we're really enjoying it so far."

It's been two years since the boys released their last album On The Leyline, hailed a 'career best' by Uncut magazine, and Steve has been a very busy man. He released a solo album entitled The Kundalini Target and worked with Paul Weller, contributing to his album 22 Dreams. This was an experience he describes as intense. He is now glad to be back with the lads once again, and they recorded the ninth studio album last summer.

"It doesn't feel like a come back," says Steve, "as we've always been doing things on and off.

He adds: "We have some new fans and some old ones too. When we played the other night in Bradford there was this old pensioner on the front row with his missus."

"I don't think our music evolved over the years," he adds, "I wish we could be more flash about it, but it's still the same guitar, bass, drums and piano."

The Birmingham band shot to fame in the early nineties with the smash hit album Moseley Shoals, in which you can hear sing-a-long favourite The Day We Caught The Train and the classic guitar licks of The Riverboat Song. Their follow up album, Marchin' Already, in 1997 knocked fellow Brit-poppers Oasis from the top of the album charts, causing a reaction from Noel Gallagher. He sent them a plaque, 'To the second best band in Britain'.

"I think the Brit pop revolution helped Ocean Colour Scene" says Steve, " bands like Oasis sort of kicked doors down for other indie bands."

So what does the future hold for the boys?

"To celebrate our 21st Anniversary as a band we are playing the Royal Albert Hall in October. That should be quite a buzz and a bit of a career highlight."

The band continue their tour around the UK before heading to Europe to play dates at Hard Rock Cafes. Their current album Saturday including the single Magic Carpet Days is on sale now.