Comprising Mike Vennart (lead vocals / guitar), Steve Durose (guitar/ vocals), Gambler (guitar), Jon Ellis (bass) and Mark Heron (drums), Oceansize met whilst studying at Salford University. They self-released their first EP Amputee in 1999, followed by A Very Still Moment EP before signing to Beggars Banquet in 2000. They released the Relapse EP via the label in 2002, with production by one of their heroes, Tim Smith from Cardiacs. Tracks from those EPs such as “Amputee” and “Saturday Morning Breakfast Show” found their way on to their debut album Efflorsesce, originally released in 2003.

Brooding, dark, spacey, empowering, sprawling and at times angelic, Oceansize were a band who always stretched themselves, never resting on their laurels. They went on to release another album via Beggars Banquet, 2005’s Everyone into Position, and then another two, Frames (2007) and Self Preserved While the Bodies Float (2010), plus various singles and EPs until their split in 2011.