Golden hour did what it does best at Melbourne's Catani Gardens on Saturday, softening the edges, turning the bay into a mirror and setting the tone for a night that felt like a cool ocean breeze on your skin.
With the sun slipping behind the palms and the crowd slowly settling on the grass, this was a line-up built for stoking fires, fanning flames and heating hearts. This was the perfect setting to witness the sun-soaked groove of Ocean Alley (24 January).
Supported by the intensity of Nothing But Thieves, the emotional sweep of Rainbow Kitten Surprise and the grit of Ruby Fields, the line-up traced a perfectly paced arc across the evening.
Despite the sweltering heat clinging to the lawn well into the evening, it did little to deter fans, who showed up in force, sunburnt and smiling, ready to ride the night out and determined to soak up every song as each band added their own shade of chaos, comfort and catharsis to the warm, summer evening.
Ruby Fields opened the evening with her unmistakable mix of grit and vulnerability she does so well. Her set felt raw in the best way; equal parts diary entry and cathartic shout-along.
'Dinosaurs' landed with a raw, nostalgic edge, its slacker-rock grit underscored by a sense of growing pains and quiet defiance that cut through the early evening haze. 'P Plates' brought a sharper bite, capturing youthful frustration and restlessness with Fields' signature blend of wit, vulnerability and unfiltered honesty.
There was a looseness to her delivery that cut through the early chatter of the crowd, grounding everyone into the moment. She carried herself with quiet confidence, the kind that doesn't need spectacle to land, easing the audience into the event with honesty and heart.
Rainbow Kitten Surprise arrived like a tidal shift and the Gardens softened with the sun melting into colour over the palm trees, the air thick with expectation and half-felt memories.
Their sound moved like a lucid dream, equal parts comfort and unease, pulling the crowd gently out of the present to somewhere far more tender. They opened with 'Hide', immediately wrapping the crowd in that familiar mix of raw tenderness, before launching into crowd favourites 'Dang' and 'Cocaine Jesus', which sent ripples of movement through the lawn.
'Devil Like Me' felt especially cinematic in the open air with its big feelings, big choruses, held gently by the dusk. By the time 'It's Called: Freefall' landed, Catani Gardens felt momentarily suspended as thousands of voices moved as one, weightless and wide-open.
What a treat to see this incredible band on back-to-back nights, moving from the intimate intensity of the Forum to the wide-open emotional release of Catani Gardens (two vastly different settings, both equally unforgettable).
Nothing But Thieves shifted the energy sharply into something darker, tighter and more urgent. 'Welcome To The DCC' and 'Futureproof' hit with industrial precision, while 'Is Everybody Going Crazy?' felt eerily apt, echoing across the bay with a sense of controlled tension.
The sonic sound of basslines rumbled through the ground as the crowd shifted from swaying to bracing. The emotional pivot came with 'If I Get High' and 'Impossible', where the crowd leaned in rather than jumped, held by Conor Mason's unmistakable vocal intensity.
It felt like witnessing an opening scene of a thriller: lights flaring, tension humming beneath the surface as the Gardens slipped into a darker, more volatile world, every beat pushing the night toward something inevitable.
By closing with 'Amsterdam' and 'Overcome', they left the audience buzzing. All hearts racing, fists in the air and fully primed for what was to come.
In true theatre fashion a white sheet hid the stage to add some mystery to the headline acts upcoming performance. As the veil dropped with the first strum of sound from Ocean Alley, the night cracked open with a perfectly timed reveal that sent the crowd roaring.
A dramatic reveal turned anticipation into instant eruption. The stage bloomed in rich, soft, gradient hues of colours bleeding into one another like a slow sunset, washing the band in warmth rather than glare.
At the centre is frontman Baden Donegal, whose laid-back vocals and rhythm guitar anchor the band's signature warmth, guiding each song with an effortless calm.
Angus Goodwin and Mitch Galbraith weave around him on guitar, trading textures and melodies that feel both sun-soaked and subtly psychedelic, while Lachlan Galbraith's keys add depth and atmosphere, lifting the grooves into something dreamier and more expansive.
Beneath it all, Nic Blom's basslines roll thick and steady, locking in tightly with Tom O'Brien's drums. It's a rhythm section that carries the band's unhurried pulse and gives their sound its unmistakable sway. Together, each member plays their part with confidence (baby), creating a sound that feels deeply collaborative and instinctively in sync.
With impeccable timing on all counts, the beachy boys put on one hell of a summer shindig. They opened with 'Tangerine' and 'Touch Back Down', launching the crowd into a high-energy groove with their sun-soaked melodies wrapped in that unmistakable Ocean Alley sizzle.
'Life In Love' and 'Tombstone' followed, the band sounding relaxed yet razor-tight, as if the open air gave the sound even more room to breathe. Mid-set moments became highlights, especially with live debuts woven seamlessly into the flow.
'Ain't No Use', 'Down The Line' and 'Thru Everything' (from 2025's 'Love Balloon' album) landed with brilliant bravado, not as experiments but as future staple soundtracks. Every fan received these new tracks with curiosity that quickly turned into full-bodied approval.
As smoke drifted lazily across the stage, catching the light just enough to turn every beam into a glowing curtain, part haze, part dream, 'Sweet Boy' echoed through the dusky sky. 'Yellow Mellow' felt particularly euphoric, their grooves rolling effortlessly across the lawn, couples swaying, groups screaming-singing with arms slung over shoulders.
As the set deepened, Ocean Alley leaned into emotional contrast. 'Partner In Crime', 'Lemonworld', and 'Left Of The Dealer' balanced nostalgia with forward momentum, while 'Happy Sad' and 'Hot Chicken' reminded everyone just how well these ocean legends understand the push and pull of light and shade.
It was a masterclass in atmosphere: velvety colour, rolling smoke and light that pulsed gently, giving the whole set a hazy, almost psychedelic softness.
The crowd was fully locked in by 'Confidence', as the crowd shimmered with that golden-hour glow as the groove unfolded like a shared breath that lifted us all into a buoyant, almost weightless state.
'Baby Come Back' drifted in on a wave of sweet nostalgia, soft and glowing, the chorus floating above the lawn like a half-remembered summer memory as we all echoed the words "there was something, and everything about you".
As we settled into the hazy groove of 'Knees' we sank deep into a slow, dreamy haze. Time stretched, lights blurred and arms went up in true admiration for the stellar summer sound.
The encore sealed it. 'First Blush' and 'Love Balloon' felt intimate despite the scale, and by the time 'Drenched' closed the night, Catani Gardens was exactly that: soaked in sound, sweat, salt air, and shared memory.
Ocean Alley had curated the ultimate summer-soaked night, leaving behind the kind of warmth that lingers long after the walk home, long after the ringing in your ears finally fades.
As the final notes dissolved into the night and I wandered back through the gardens toward the shoreline for a cleansing evening dip with friends, we agreed the whole experience felt unmistakably Ocean Alley.
There's something about the way Ocean Alley builds their world by not chasing moments, but letting them arrive. Their warm energy lingers long after the stage lights fade. Born from shared roads, surf breaks and years of quiet devotion to the groove, their chemistry feels lived-in and sun-warmed, each song carrying the ease of a band completely at home with one another.
As we slipped into the cool water, salt washing off sweat and sound still ringing softly in our ears, it felt like the perfect epilogue: a summer-soaked night unspooling gently, timeless and unhurried, exactly as it was meant to be.
