At the height of Britpop, a handful of bands epitomised the sound of sense of the movement. Blur and Oasis fought over the headlines but this stylised spat between north and south only became representative of a scene when a backdrop of other performers were considered.

Suede, The Bluetones, Sleeper, Elastica, Pulp, Cast, Echobelly, Shed Seven and others were all more than footnotes to the Oasis-Blur contretemps, much more. All contributed to the fabric and feel of Britpop and provided a soundtrack befitting the optimism and excitement of post-recession mid-nineties Britain with its summers of TFI Friday, blue skies and Gazza.

There are many more bands and players that made up Britpop but a small number seemed to perfectly characterise the sound. Among these was Ocean Colour Scene, a Birmingham four-piece whose eponymous 1992 debut album had been unsuccessfully remixed and shoehorned into the Madchester mould. It would be four years until the nation's musical psyche and Ocean Colour Scene's soulful indie would converge, in the irresistible summer of 1996.

Their second album, 'Moseley Shoals', was released three months before England hosted Euro '96 in a famously warm and, for many, carefree summer. Tracks including 'The Riverboat Song', 'You've Got It Bad' and 'The Day We Caught the Train' were instant classics and helped push 'Moseley Shoals' past the million sales mark.

More successful albums followed. 1997's 'Marchin' Already' topped the charts and the next two LPs also made the top ten. Into 2011 and after nine albums, 'OCS' can reflect on a rich history and a clutch of indie anthems that still hold their own, more than a decade after they were written.

The Christmas 'Moseley Shoals' tour will see the band play the seminal album in its entirety, beginning on 24th November in Yeovil, followed by gigs in Oxford, Bournemouth, Sheffield, Newcastle, Glasgow, Brixton and more, before the final show in Scarborough (recently announced) on 13th December.

We have tickets for all dates available now, priced from £23.50 for Leamington Spa, £24 for Hatfield, £24.50 for the rest except Brixton, which costs £25.

After the UK dates, OCS head to Dublin for two shows at the Olympia Theatre on 16th and 17th December. The first night is sold out, but tickets for the recently-added second are available priced €30 to €35.