OCEAN Colour Scene are back on track and ready to play Birmingham's Academy now that drummer Oscar Harrison is on the mend.

Oscar had a torn disc on his spinal column, which resulted in the band cancelling their Academy gig in June.

But now the foursome are geared up to play their rescheduled gig on Sunday, September 8.

Aside from Oscar, Ocean Colour Scene consist of Simon Fowler on vocals/guitar, Steve Cradock on guitar, piano and vocals and Damon Minchella on bass.

I caught up with Damon, the co-founder, to find out a bit about the history of the band and what they've been up to recently.

Damon, originally from Liverpool, is living in Stratford-upon-Avon but plans to move to Worcestershire.

He wanted to be a footballer when he was 14, but broke his leg in goal.

Still, it's perhaps no surprise that Damon became a pop star. His parents were big music fans and his mum went to school with George Harrison.

"My dad was asked to manage The Beatles during their second tour in Germany, but my grandad wouldn't let him go," says Damon.

"My father was 17 or 18 at the time and had a driving licence - that's why he got asked.

"A bloke called Neil Aspinall did it instead, and he's still Paul McCartney's manager now."

Damon moved to Birmingham with his family at the age of 14 when his dad landed a job in the motor trade.

"I didn't understand the Birmingham accent at first and vice-versa," he says.

In 1989, in Birmingham, the four future members of Ocean Colour Scene were apparently kicking up a storm in local pubs and clubs.

Simon once sang in local band The Fanatics, a Velvet Underground-influenced outfit who never found fame.

Steve, already a star on his own six-string, played in a local mod revival band called The Boys.

Damon played bass in his bedroom and supported Everton from the terraces on Saturdays. Oscar was part of an 11-piece reggae collective called Echo Park who were briefly UB40's label mates.

Damon co-founded Ocean Colour Scene at the age of 20 with Simon.

"We did a lot of dope smoking at the time and the name just came up," he said. "We thought it was really silly, but we liked it."

This year, Ocean Colour Scene turn 12 years old. They released their first single Sway in September 1990 to critical acclaim, but after their second single came out, Yesterday Today, things started to go wrong.

The debut album was delayed, re-recorded, and trickled into the shops in February 1992, selling very few copies.

Band manager and guitarist Steve's father, Chris Cradock, re-mortgaged his house to secure their future, and they began work on an album that would eventually change their lives.

By 1996, Moseley Shoals was ready to go, as was its flagship single, The Riverboat Song, which became the walk-on theme for guests on Channel 4's cult show TFI Friday.

Moseley Shoals quickly established itself as a modern standard, full of classic tracks.

Damon says the band are currently recording a new album which should be released some time next year.

"We're at the first stage with recording at the moment," he says.

"We've recorded 10 songs at the moment but will record three times as many tunes.

"A definite single will be North Atlantic Drift, which might be our second single.

"It's very deep, about how the third world could be the first world."

Tickets for the Birmingham gig are £18.50 in advance.