Ocean Alley are coming back to NZ for a summer of shows. Photo / Ocean Alley
Ocean Alley are coming back to NZ for a summer of shows. Photo / Ocean Alley
“We’re just keen to get over to Kiwi and have a ball, find some shows, have some pineapple lumps.”
As the weather starts to get warmer here in New Zealand, simultaneously, the jandals make their way to the top of the shoe pile, the chilly bins start making their summer debuts and our daily soundtracks start sounding like cruisy guitar riffs, reggae-fused beats and the vocal equivalent of clear blue, summer skies.
In other words, Ocean Alley returns to our daily playlists.
The band itself has become a Kiwi summer staple, played in the background of every barbecue, beach day and garden get-together, which not only instills a yearning for dog days gone by, but also a craving for ice blocks that transcends even the most visceral of senses.
The Herald sat down with Ocean Alley’s Baden Donegal and Mitch Galbraith to pick their brains about their upcoming summertime tour, some of their most iconic tracks and a little-known New Zealand confession that will put the Aussies to shame.
The Australian band rose to summer icon status with their 2018 album Chiaroscuro, which rocketed them onto every notable festival set list, such as Splendour In The Grass, Sziget and Reading Festival, and marked them as a rock band to be reckoned with.
Baden Donegal of the band Ocean Alley performs at Falls Festival on January 7 in Fremantle, Australia. Photo / Getty Images
Undoubtedly a recurring summer anthem, Confidence is a playlist regular come summertime. The track nabbed number one on Triple J’s Hottest 100 in 2018 and soon became a crowd favourite for many a sunny arvo to come.
The band knew they had landed on gold when they wrote it, but perhaps what they didn’t realise was just how big it would be.
“When we wrote it, we knew at the time that it was going to be one of those songs that sort of poked out on the radio,” says Donegal.
“But as we’ve sort of gone along and even just in the writing of that whole record, I think that was kind of the song that had the least amount of attention given to it. And one of the more, sort of, easy, more fluent tracks that we’ve put together without even really putting too much thought into it.
“It did amazing things. So, we’re very grateful for that,” Donegal admitted.
And what made her “a confident lady”, you ask?
“It’s an energy you project,” says Donegal. “I mean, a confident person carries themselves pretty well, they’ll look you in the eye and stand up tall and speak with purpose.”
The band's latest album Low Altitude Living was released last year October. Photo / Ocean Alley
The band are excited to dabble in their older stuff at their concerts over the summer, as well as jam some of their newer tracks off of their latest album Low Altitude Living.
An album born from the Covid lockdowns, the 2022 record reveals “some of the most thought-out stuff” the band have ever produced.
“There was lots to think about and lots to express in the music,” says Donegal. “I think everyone cooped up in their homes for a couple of years, for us, was almost a good thing - for having some downtime from touring and focusing on the music.”
While churning the old “garage band turned world sensation” trope into gold, the band peg their success on something far more wholesome than musical talent. Their tip to making it in the industry?
“Stuff doesn’t happen overnight. I think it’s just about aiming for longevity and loving what you do. I think that helps for sure.”
Donegal chimes in, “As long as you’re enjoying the process, the other stuff comes easy. If you’re passionate about your art and you enjoy putting the time into that, then the rest of the process will unfold as it does.”
Ocean Alley during their North American tour. Photo / Instagram
While Kiwis and Aussies have historically had an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) rivalry over many a pavlova debate and rugby team heckle, the Australian band has gone down well in our books - and seemingly, so have we in theirs.
“I think New Zealand’s just such a beautiful landscape. To be able to go and play or experience live music in some of these really cool coastal towns in New Zealand or in the Alps - it’s just such a cool backdrop, such a cool feel being out there in the smaller parts of nature.”
Galbraith and Donegal even went so far as to dub Aotearoa as one of their favourite places to tour.
“For us, down here in Australia and New Zealand, summertime is the best,” says Donegal. “New Zealand is one of my [favourites].”
On top of their Spark Arena show in Auckland next week, Ocean Alley are hitting the road this summer, making pitstops at iconic festivals around New Zealand, such as Le Currents in Taupō, Rock The Bowl in New Plymouth, Rhythm & Alps in Wānaka, Shake & Bake in Wellington and Beach Break in Whangamatā - and they cannot wait.
The band are stoked to be returning to New Zealand to play at some of our stacked summer festivals, explore some of the secluded beach towns and surf some waves while they’re over.
“We’ve got some unfinished business at Whangamatā,” says Galbraith. “So, we need to go back and score some more waves there.”
Not just keen on our waves and our festivals, Galbraith admitted to a secret hankering that would make any Aussie shoot a mean death stare: pineapple lumps.
“We’re just keen to get over to Kiwi and have a ball, find some shows, have some pineapple lumps. You know, all the other things that you do when you’re in Kiwi,” says Galbraith.
Donegal adds, “We’re excited to see you all and we look forward to touching down in New Zealand next week!”
Megan Watts is a Lifestyle and Entertainment digital producer for the New Zealand Herald whose passions include honest journalism, backstage band chats and doing things for the plot.
