Ocean Alley Touches Back Down: Concert Review

Ocean Alley is back, after the success of their new record Love Balloon, which landed them four entries in this year’s Hottest 100. The band are making their way around Australia, hosting a run of concerts that may as well be mini-festivals, with support acts and turn out as strong as they are! Tonight, the band is joined by Australian singer-songwriter Ruby Fields, American alt-rock indie band Rainbow Kitten Surprise, and British band Nothing But Thieves to heat things up on an already warm Summer afternoon.

This is what happened at Ocean Alley’s show at the Brisbane Showgrounds on January 30^th, 2026!

RUBY FIELDS

Hitting the stage in the early evening was Ruby Fields and her band, returning to the Brisbane Showgrounds for the first time since their Laneway set in 2019. With some new music released in 2025, it was great to get a chance to see these tracks and some of the classics performed live tonight, starting with the band’s opening song, Song About A Boy. Fields’ music, slow and steady at the start of each song – with the focus on her beautiful voice, vulnerable lyrics, and gentle guitar – builds to explosive rock highs throughout the set. I was really keen to hear the cool strumming and vocals of 92 Purebred. Fields’ music, especially in songs like Dinosaurs and Tacklebox, showcases her poetic inclinations, with vivid writing that makes the worst of our emotional lows resonant through the pain, comforting in the discomfort. We were treated to a new track to finish on and I’m hoping Muscle is the first this year in a new set of tracks that we can get behind… I’m eager for the release to hear it again soon!

Fave song: 92 Purebred

OCEAN ALLEY

To say I was excited that we opened with Tangerine is an understatement. The song perfectly set the tone, reintroducing the Brisbane crowd to Australian psychedelic-rock royalty. Have been performing for a decade and a half now, Ocean Alley presents as a polished, with the original six members of the band blending seamlessly with their guest instrumentalists and vocalists throughout the evening. Without hesitation, they transitioned straight into the emotional and resilient Touch Back Down.

Although we opened with a track from their newest album, Love Balloon, Tangerine is very familiar to dedicated fans and casual listeners alike. Our first taste of the newer contributions came in Life In Love, and we were treated intermittently to the entirety of the album, spiced up by the occasional classic, throwback track like Tombstone. New tracks like Ain’t No Use and Sweet Boy capitalise on a groovy, seaside throwback-rock sound to get audiences dancing while liberating us from the weight of expectations, showing the band’s ability to take their laidback sounds to the emotional depth that leaves a lasting impact on audiences.

While the album is the obvious effort of the entire band’s musical synchronicity, these contemplative lyrics are primarily attributed to vocalist and guitarist Baden Donegal. He’s joined by Angus Goodwin (lead guitar), Lach Galbraith (keyboard, vocals), Mitch Galbraith (guitar), Nic Blom (bass), and Tom O’Brien (drums) in the powerhouse group, each standing in their own spotlight but united on-stage. Switching things up constantly to honour their famed hits, they run through the soaring Yellow Mellow (which garners its own uproarious acclaim), the wild country twang of Down The Line, and the moody Partner In Crime. By now, picking and choosing what makes the cut for an Ocean Alley set is a delicate art, but the new hits need their fair share of rotation to become classics in their own time.

Thru Everything feels like a testament to the fortitude of love and dedication, highlighting Donegal’s penchant for poetic imagery that tugs at the right heartstrings, with a rising sense of urgency leading to an exciting feelings in the crowd. The broody, darker (despite its name) Lemonworld contrasts keenly with the emerging country thrills of Left Of The Dealer, which makes the crowd feel oh-so-slick. Although the steady beat does not subside, the emotional blows ebb and flow as we go to Happy Sad, beginning a trek through a last few of the big Ocean Alley hits that have been accumulated over the last decade and a half.

We’re first treated to the tumultuous inner conflicts explored in the 80s-esque late-night groove of Hot Chicken, before the opening chords of Confidence are met with their mandatory screams of excitement, as any Hottest 100 winning song would be. The song goes as hard now as it ever did, but Ocean Alley insists that their other music will rise to the occasion, and continue to do so, giving Confidence fierce competition within its own setlist. And our penultimate song of the evening was the band’s cover of Baby Come Back, leading into a climactic rendition of Knees.

But wait… there are still three untouched singles from Love Balloon, including its title track! Surely the band wouldn’t be crazy enough to shirk off the album at its own welcoming tour! Of course, we were treated to a dreamy musical montage, as the band parted with us in a three-song encore featuring some of their loveliest songs, befitting the name of the album. They emerged again with First Blush, a very sweet start to the end, before jumping on to the liberating groove of Love Balloon. With their own spin on a closing time song, we were given a nostalgia-ridden ride to our child minds, liberated or uninhibited from our current tensions, and Drenched, as the band wishes, in the feeling of being unabashedly in the moment of live music.

With a slew of shows yet to go, each with their own phenomenal line-up of support acts as well, don’t miss out on Ocean Alley’s Aus tour! Their summery sound, dreamy psychedelic vibe, and meaningful lyrics will appeal to anyone hoping to relax and reflect, rather than ruminate as the pace of the world picks back up. And be sure to check out their newest album, whether its in your childhood bedroom as you visit home or driving down the highway on the morning commute – there’s light in there to brighten anyone’s day!

Fave song: Ain’t No Use

SOUNDS GOOD?

If Ocean Alley can’t sate your appetite for laidback tunes with deep lyrics, then you can get your fix with these bands too!

Mid Drift – This Brisbane indie-rock band has risen to great acclaim in 2025 and 2026 will hopefully continue this trend as they perform alongside Ocean Alley and at Laneway Festival, just as a start! Their beachy rock and reflective lyrics will snag your interest too!

South Summit – If you’re looking for beachy vibes, look no further than South Summit. This Perth band are putting out adventurous, passionate indie rock tracks that’ll make you want to climb a mountain or set sail on the high seas.

Tash Sultana – With a dreamy sound that feels like falling asleep in a tropical lushness, Tash Sultana is a talented multi-instrumentalist and producer. Their music dips into the darker territory reflected in Ocean Alley’s sound, but naturally fills up a dance floor and has you swaying along before you know it!