Simon is offering a personal night out

9:59am Friday 28th September 2007

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OCEAN Colour Scene frontman Simon Fowler candidly admits the past 18 years have been a bit of a blur.

"To be honest," he said, "I don't really remember much."

After two decades, the popular British indie band are still going strong - even if Fowler's memory is not.

Fowler and OCS drummer/pianist Oscar Harrison perform at Worcester's Marr's Bar tonight. Fowler said they were seeking intimate surroundings and an appreciative crowd - something they are likely to find at the much celebrated city centre venue.

OCS hail from Birmingham and once dominated the charts with singles such as The Riverboat Song and The Day We Caught The Train. Tonight's show, however, will showcase their less raucous side.

"We do the things we don't get to do when you have a full band," said Fowler.

"God knows how many songs we've recorded. We've quite a big back catalogue to choose from, but it is nice to choose some of the b-sides.

"I mean, we won't play Riverboat. But, to be honest, that because I can't play Riverboat. I can't do the guitar part."

The small-scale show follows on from OCS's storming performance at this year's V Festival. Fowler and Harrison are expected to play a selection of songs from their back catalogue, with tracks from their second - and most well-known - album Moseley Shoals interspersed with b-sides and numbers from their latest album, released in April, On the Leyline.

Fowler said up close and personal shows remind him of when he first started.

"I love doing this kind of gig because it's how I started off, playing in pubs," he said.

"We started them in Ireland and Scotland some years back. We didn't know what to expect but it went down well."

It's not only the size of venues that has changed over the years. Fowler said his music taste has changed too.

"There is a lot more Fairport Convention and a lot less New York Dolls," he said.

Tickets, £12 in advance and £15 on the door, are available from Music City, The Tything and the Marr's Bar.