2019 was Ocean Alley’s year. Between winning triple J’s Hottest 100 with “Confidence”, playing at Splendour in the Grass and touring across Europe, it’s been a wild ride. The Northern Beaches band has risen to prominence through their psychedelic fusion of reggae and indie rock. With some new releases, being 2019’s “Infinity” and “Stained Glass”, the band has found time during their busy schedule to pursue new creative outlets. This includes some new music, coming this summer, and organising their very own festival, A Day For The Beaches on November 16th. Backyard Opera sat down with guitarist Mitch, who was gearing up to go for a surf after the interview, to discuss A Day For The Beaches and festivals in general.

“It’s a charity festival that we’re putting on where all the proceeds are going to charities that we’ve worked with before,” said Mitch. “One, which is a mental health awareness charity on the Northern Beaches, is called 180o and the other, which we’ve given money to in the past, is called the Cerebral Palsy Alliance. That’s an all ages, drug and alcohol free event that we’ll be planning. There’s a whole bunch of bands from the beaches, lots of food stalls, community stalls, art stalls, that sort of stuff.”

Ocean Alley know a thing or two about festivals. Their Splendour in the Grass 2019 set was a career highlight, being one of their best performances. The combination of their expanded repertoire, the “spectacular” Splendour crowd and the huge light and sound spectacle of “Confidence”, meant this was the only set “(they) walked off stage feeling more nervous than when they walked on”. To them, their experience at Splendour summarises everything they love about festivals. From the music, which included Mitch’s first time seeing Matt Corby live, to the food and art stalls, to camping, there is plenty to do at festivals. Mitch even saw his now all-time favourite festival outfit.

“I can remember. It was Splendour, the one just gone, and it was just a dude in a pair of budgie smuggler with sunnies on. They were colourful,” he explained. “They were loud and proud. It was perfect at the time because I saw him and it was blaring sun. He didn’t look sunburnt so he must’ve had some cream on, good man, but it would’ve got so cold at night so I hope he at least had a rash vest to put on.”

The grind doesn’t stop for Ocean Alley, as their next three tours will all be at festivals, with Spilt Milk at the end of November, Bad Dreams in January and Laneway in February. Looking ahead to Laneway, the band is hoping to debut some of the new music that they’ve been working on, as well as a new lighting design. In their mind, this festival is so special because it is on the opposite end of the spectrum to most. It is in the heart of Sydney CBD, taking place this year in the Domain. They, as Sydneysiders themselves, are excited for fans to be able to enjoy such great acts without having to leave the city. Of these great acts that are playing alongside them, Mitch named King Gizzard, the DMA’s and Stella Donnelly as the acts he was most excited to see. When asked what his favourite thing about a festival was, Mitch responded with “mingling with the artists backstage.” For Laneway, this included his mates and past tour buddies Hockey Dad and The Chats.

“Yeah we caused some trouble in Reading and Leeds Fest with them,” he laughed. “We played these two festivals and were on the same stage as The Chats and Hockey Dad, so it was a little Aussie crew backstage. It was pretty fun driving around England with those guys and was great to have some beers with some friends from back home on the other side of the world. Anyway, we were backstage mucking around and wrestling and shit. A chair got broken. It was pretty funny.”

Earlier this year, Ocean Alley peacefully protested in Hyde Park in defence of festivals and live music. To them, these aren’t just music line-ups but rather expressions of culture. Mitch explained the many benefits of festivals. He discussed at the forefront, they are massive employers, not only of bands, especially up and coming artists, but also of all event staff and organisers, being a massive revenue generator for governments. However, he would also note that there is something special about festivals.

“They’re great social places,” said Mitch. “It’s a part of youth culture, but it’s also a part of Australian culture now and Australian music is the best it’s ever been. Festivals are a showcase of that. The benefits to everyone are just so great.”

It is clear to Ocean Alley that festivals are must see events, with Laneway next year being an opportunity for them to take their live set to a new level. For more information about Laneway 2020 and who will be joining Ocean Alley on stage, visit the official website here: https://lanewayfestival.com.

Be sure to keep an ear out over the summer for their new music and check out the charity festival A Day For The Beaches. It is taking place on the 16th November in Rat Park, Warriewood. Event details are here: https://www.facebook.com/events/432426234290126/