HUNDREDS of Islanders lined up outside a town music shop to get their hands on tickets for a concert featuring members of Britpop icons Ocean Colour Scene.
An acoustic show on 11 May at the Drift in the Royal Yacht Hotel will feature a “greatest hits” performance by Simon Fowler and Oscar Harrison, from the indie rock group.
The duo will be supported by singer-songwriter Steve Pilgrim, the former drummer for the alt-rock band The Stands.
A queue for tickets outside Island Music in Bath Street stretched into Minden Street, with tickets selling out in eight hours.
The show forms part of a series of community-focused events and concerts showcasing international and local artists organised by Island Music.
Shop owner Paul Sharkey said: “It is important to be more than just a shop. We want to bring people together and reach different demographics.
“It is amazing to have members of Ocean Colour Scene play. They were the band who got me into playing guitar, so it’s amazing to be able to book them for a gig. It’s all come full circle.
“I used to play with Steve back in Liverpool – he is an incredible drummer and singer.”
He added that the choice to sell physical rather than online tickets was to provide a more “old-school experience”.
“There is artwork on the ticket, which brings out the ideas surrounding the music,” he said. “It allows you to develop a physical and emotional connection to the music. And you can keep the ticket afterwards as a memory of the event.”
He added: “It even brought loads of newcomers into the shop who could then see what the shop was all about.
“It shows that things like this can still exist in today’s world and that people are still excited by the concept.”
Mr Sharkey took over the business in July last year, fulfilling a lifelong dream of owning a music shop, after former owner Jonathan Scriven retired after 33 years.
