I first encountered The Ocean around the time of their ground-breaking album, Precambrian. A towering achievement, it was one of those rare pieces of work that just flowed beautifully from start to finish and the album’s gorgeous artwork added to the notion that you were experiencing the record rather than simply listening to it and subsequent albums (complete with jaw dropping special editions) have seen the band continue to explore the musical universe they inhabit. Like Cult of Luna, another band who deftly weave together art and music, The Ocean’s live shows are enigmatic events, the band often appearing wreathed in smoke, only to burst out of the haze with untrammelled rage. Few who have seen the band live are liable to forget the band’s energy, and while The Ocean undoubtedly feed off the energy of the crowd, it’s hard to imagine them turning in a grounded performance, even in the absence of an audience.
From the outset, Club 100 is brilliantly set up for live streaming. The website works perfectly across numerous platforms (we set up on our Samsung TV), and the ticketing system is simple – a 32 digit code delivered via .pdf – which makes you wonder why all streaming platforms can’t be this easy. The audience can log in up to thirty minutes early and, as a bonus, some twenty minutes before the performance, an interview flickers into life, helping to build anticipation for the show.
Not that anticipation is a problem, with the band airing the stunning Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic in its entirety. An awe-inspiring record that (over two parts) caps off the cycle begun with Precambrian, Palaeozoic informed the band’s last tour (including a monumental appearance at the UK’s Damnation festival) and for fans to experience the band taking to the stage after so long a period of inactivity, is something truly special indeed.
With the interview done, a short break of three minutes gives time for the stage to be set and then we’re treated to the opening strains of The Cambrian: Explosion. With plenty of time to set up the equipment, and no audience, the sound should be epic, but when the band comes in on Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrance, it’s with a drum-heavy mix that is painfully unbalanced. The stage certainly looks the part, but the cymbals and snare in particular override the mix to such a degree that it’s all but unlistenable. Fortunately, some harrowing five minutes in, the mix is adjusted and, by Ordovicum I: The Glaciation Of Gondwana, the show starts to hit its stride. And, it is one hell of a show. With the eerie lighting and haze occasionally pierced by dazzling bursts of strobe, the band lay down a blistering foundation as singer Loic paces the stage, occasionally staring down the camera, when the operator is foolish enough to get too close.
The sound of water paves the way for the lengthy Silurian: Age Of Sea Scorpions, an album highlight that showcases the breadth of the band’s influences. With electronic elements, djentish riffs and jazzy interludes, it’s a track that makes short work of its run time, and as the elements coalesce, it’s good to be able to crank the sound and watch the band giving their all on stage. It’s followed, of course, by Devonian: Nascent (which originally featured Katatonia’s Jonas Renske on vocals), a slow-burning masterpiece that sits at the very heart of the album. The sound, at this point, is clear, allowing the nuances to rise to the surface for what is a truly mesmerising performance. Loic proves particularly impressive here, tackling Jonas’ enigmatic vocals with aplomb and, as the guitars ramp up in ferocity, so he allows a more visceral edge to creep into his performance, bringing it all to a brutal head.
The instrumental The Carboniferous: Rainforest Collapse provides a moment of reset after so monstrous a performance, hypnotising the listener and drawing them off into the aether, only for the band to unleash one last convulsive burst of energy with the final track. A stabbing, dramatic piece that harks back to the likes of Botch and Fugazi, Permian: The Great Dying has a dynamic, post-hardcore vibe that truly comes into its own stage and it makes for a devastating ending. It remains only for the band to say a calm thank you, before departing the stage to the strains of Massive Attack.
For a brief moment, it all looked like it was going to go horribly wrong. A hideous mix obliterated the band’s opening gambit, but The Ocean Collective neatly pulled victory from the jaws of defeat, delivering a powerful performance that only got better as it progressed. Although the band alluded to nerves, these soon dissipated as the material took over, taking the audience with them on a journey through the mists of time. An impressive live stream event with strong production values and good sound (initial issues notwithstanding), witnessing The Ocean Collective performing Phanerozoic I in its entirety was a rare treat and part II (to be aired at Roadburn) can’t come soon enough.
