OVER the past two decades, Simon Fowler has perfected the art of pleasing a crowd.

When the Ocean Colour Scene frontman performed at the Marr's Bar alongside the band's effortlessly cool pianist Oscar Harrison, he proved himself a showman.

He connected with the audience by joking about Worcestershire's rugby and cricket teams.

"New Road? New rules," he joked. "Bring your mask and snorkel."

The appreciative crowd was peppered with die-hard fans. I got the impression a number were there just to hear the hits - but is that such a bad thing? So Low showcased Fowler's fantastic voice, which was, as always forceful and emotive.

There was some kind of fault with Harrison's keyboard, but it didn't hold the pair back and probably wasn't even noticed by the majority of fans, who spent the gig singing along to Ocean Colour Scene B-sides at the top of their voices.

Lining Your Pockets was beautiful and felt incredibly intimate. A highlight of the show was Won't Get Grazed, which Fowler, admitting he'd never been able to learn the words, sang from a crumpled piece of paper.

The Circle was well received, Robin Hood was very good, but it was Day We Caught The Train that everyone was waiting for and, of course, the one that they played last.

Despite the jokes, Fowler wore a serious expression for the majority of the song and I wondered if he actually enjoys being pressed to perform a song the band released over 10 years ago.

However, after a room full of people took part in an enthusiastic "wooah la la la" singalong and a huge grin broke out on his face, I stopped wondering.

Lauren Rogers