Who doesn’t need a good car song or three? One of those tunes with a real honking windows-down, rattling-the-wheel-trim sound? A tune you can tear your lungs out of your chest while yelling along, and then leave them gasping for air on the hard shoulder of the motorway?

OK admittedly we aren’t currently going more than 8 miles in the car more than once every couple of weeks right at the minute in lockdown, but I can dream, and there is always time for a drive tune or two.

Oceans On Mars have produced a real addictive driving tune with their latest single Don’t Tell Me Where I Am. It’s one of those songs that when the guitar is heavy it’s like lead, and where it’s delicate it’s as soft as my cats ears.

Those into heavy indie-rock of the Queens of the Stone Age or Pearl Jam will feel at home here. The band Haydyn Biddle (Vocals), Angus Scott (Lead Guitar), James Oldham-Rhythm (Guitar), Alex Fairhurst (Bass) and Greg Wilkes (Drums) are Manchester based although from Holmes Chapel / Northwich. I don’t know what they put in the water in Northwich but there’s a good indie scene from that place.

I’m a particular fan of Hayden’s vocals as I get a real dark powerful Eddie Vedder style baritone here, and the rest of the band fit around him like a glove.

Other Oceans on Mars tracks feature previous lead singer Joe Sant (who left the band at the end of 2019) and Joe clearly has a huge vocal too (and he is doing a bit of solo work on his you tube channel at present, which is well worth checking out).

The band have been about for a couple of years and are making good progress. Don’t Tell Me Where I Am has amassed a very creditable 10,000 spotify plays. It’s probably a good job the pubs are in lockdown else the lads would probably be tempted to blow those tasty spotify royalties on a round of drinks. Sadly there’s no money in downloads. Three of the other Oceans On Mars tracks have bounced past 80,000 plays so I’m clearly not the only one enjoying their updated return of the heavy grunge.

Sadly the band’s social media shows they had a lively spring of gigs lined up (currently postponed to autumn, but who knows at this stage?). From the music I’ve downloaded and some crazy exciting images, I’m sure Oceans On Mars would own the stage and fill the hall. Keep the faith and a few quid for a gig ticket with Oceans of Mars’ name on it for the other side. Meantime download their tunes and feed these lads one drop of spotify beer at a time.

Chris R

*All images taken from the band’s social media