One of the most joyous gigs I’ve seen since the pandemic from the mighty Oceans On Mars; a band that I’ve adored since that time. These Manchester lads put on the gig of their lives at Gorilla to a packed audience, including fans who had travelled from Germany, Poland and Sweden.
Their entrance to ABBA’s Gimme Gimme Gimme was totally them all over. Real glint in their eyes and a knowing wink. They then morphed seamlessly into their heavy, visceral cover of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs as a tribute to Ozzy Osborne. Guitars charged to the max, slamming bass, drums bold and thunderously heavy, Haydyn unleashing absolute hell up front. I’m sure the Prince Of Darkness would approve!
And this was the grit and determination needed to build up the energy of the packed crowds. What then followed was a mesmerising set of big anthems: Don’t Tell Me Where I Am, Mirror, In Your Own Time, Let Me Know; all absolutely smashed out raucously. Haydyn Biddle was on top vocal form and an absolute sweaty mess a few songs in ripped his shirt off Iggy Pop style for the second half of the set. He certainly enjoyed diving into the incredible mosh pits that he incited.
The newest track, Fear Of, was given its debut live performance. It could be their best track yet with clear nods to grunge legends, including Nirvana. Warrior sticksman Greg Wilkes absolutely pulverised the skins on his massive drum kit with real brute force, making incendiary use of his biting snare, huge rack tom and double kick pedal. He was sensational all night and clearly happy to be back on the tubs after a nasty ACL injury. There were thanks to the incredibly versatile Billy Burnham who played drums brilliantly in Greg’s style on the studio recording of this track, and was commanding the pits throughout the night.
Angus Scott on lead guitar was on top form as always. There were some tasty fiddly guitar solo licks on tracks like Until We Vanish. His love of bands like QOTSA definitely shone through too. He can crunch out the rollicking numbers, but also use his effects pedals impressively for the more psyched out moments. He also got to do some impressive vocals on another newish track, Salt In The Wound, as a delightful harmony along with Haydyn. Angus is such a fireball of energy. He commands the stage like he commands the socials… this band has such a brilliant community spirit and they have really attracted a lot of new fans lately.
Credit also to the brilliant Alex Fairhurst (bass) and James Oldham (rhythm guitar) who really built up the hard edged grungy vibe throughout. Alex’s bass solo licks on Cold Blooded were as epic as his hilarious stage fall during Mousetrap (hope you’re alright dude!) He was clearly enjoying the vibe.
This was such a welcome return from Oceans On Mars; it’s been about a year since their last live gig. The newer tracks especially are sounding incredible. Good to hear the anthemic Nothing Needs To Change which will surely be released into the new year. I hear there are plans for a massive UK tour in the works, including a promise of Newcastle. Oceans On Mars certainly have a momentum going online that makes them one of the top tips for a breakthrough band of 2026.
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