Ocean Grove packed out 170 Russell in Melbourne on May 25 to celebrate 10 years of Black Label, delivering a career-spanning set that proved the Oddworld is more alive than ever.
Ocean Grove didn’t have anything to prove when they performed on home turf last Sunday, but the Melbourne-based outfit sure as hell proved to everyone that Oddworld is the place to be, and they’re not going anywhere.
DREGG opened the night with reckless precision, tearing through 170 Russell like a wrecking crew. There was no warm-up, just straight into full-blown chaos – and the crowd was all for it, shouting back iconic lines from the Melbourne heavyweights (including an echoing call of “all these metalcore singers live at home with their parents.”). Diamond Construct followed, filling the room even further as anticipation built up.
Ocean Grove rolled out to a sold-out room, marking 10 years since the release of Black Label while pushing further into their latest chapter.
Ocean Grove came out with a bang to the rallying cry of ‘OG Forever,’ and from that moment onward, it was a high-octane, full energy performance. Nothing held them back as diehards swarmed to the front of the stage, the circle pit ready to go for the local nu-metal icons from the opening beat.
It was a full circle moment, complete with the OG lineup (including Luke Holmes and Running Touch) – and both new fans and old gathered together to witness a homecoming like no other.
The band didn’t make punters wait for them to crack open the vault. ‘You Know Something We Don’t?’ ricocheted around the venue with a renewed, electric energy that not just rivalled, but maybe surpassed that of performances from a decade ago. This was Black Label at its best – aged like a fine wine, with a decade of experience and maturity under Ocean Grove’s belt to bring it back even better than the first go round.
‘B.L.U.D.’ and ‘Lights On Kinda Lover’ still hit like they did a decade ago, erupting with the same venom and swagger that put Ocean Grove on the map. However, the real magic was in how seamlessly the new material stood beside it.
Tracks like ‘FLY AWAY’, ‘SOWHAT1999’, and ‘RAINDROP’ weren’t just well-received – they were made for this moment. The bounce, the bite, the hooks, all landed clean. The band grinned through every note, matching the crowd’s energy with their own explosive momentum – with more than a few wholesome displays of brotherly camaraderie between them. For an album created with live performances in mind, it’s clear Ocean Grove has hit the mark and then some.
Perhaps the standout moment for me was when things slowed down amongst the chaos for a second during ‘LAST DANCE.’ Phone torches to the sky, the crowd swayed in perfect unison in an all-out singalong. It’s clear that Ocean Grove knows how to work a crowd no matter the tempo, and the fans were eating it up in droves.
Ten years since Black Label (fifteen since their formation), Ocean Grove are still shaping Oddworld on their own terms. This show proved it’s not nostalgia keeping the flame alive; it’s evolution, and it’s loud as hell.
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