Sydney band Ocean Alley to make return to Groovin’ The Moo stage five years after last Bunbury performance

“If you had to write the band’s bio on Wikipedia, how would you describe Ocean Alley?”” After more than a decade together as a musical act, lead singer Baden Donegal is surprisingly stumped by the question. Following a few seconds of thought, he replies “definitely not that”. “I would say on Wikipedia that we are six mates from the Northern Beaches that play a soft wash rock — I don’t know,” he said. “I still haven’t nailed what we would call our style of music yet, and it has been 10 years. It’s ever changing.” While Donegal might have trouble describing the group’s genre, it is not something he has to worry about too much. Originating from Sydney, Ocean Alley released their first EP back in 2013 but largely went under the radar until the release of their single The Comedown in 2017. However, it was Confidence which made them household names within Australia’s music scene after it went to No.1 on the 2018 Hottest 100 countdown. The band has now racked up 14 songs on the annual music chart, making them equal with WA flagbearers Spacey Jane and British indie icons Florence + The Machine. They also have streaming figures most acts could only dream of, with 1.36 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Asked what he puts the band’s ability to connect with so many people down to, Donegal described the band as being “down to earth”. “We don’t really like to convey anything we are not and I think that honesty is portrayed in our music and our songwriting,” he said. Ocean Alley last performed in Bunbury during the 2018 GTM tour, with Donegal excited to be coming back after five years. “We are excited to play down in the South West and I am calling that home now at the moment in Margaret River, so I guess it is a little hometown show for me this time around,” he said. Audiences will be treated to music from their latest album Low Altitude Living, which the Bunbury crowd among the first to hear it performed live since its release in October. Ocean Alley will perform alongside 23 other acts including Amy Shark, Denzel Curry, The Chats and Eliza Rose. However, it is a British superstar DJ Donegal is most excited about performing alongside. “I think it is very nostalgic for me listening to Fatboy Slim in high school and I have never seen him live, so I am just super excited for that,” he said. Tickets to the May 6 festival at Hay Park are available at gtm.net.au