Felix White took to his Instagram the day after the show on Friday to make the official announcement, saying “I’ve been making a record with my brothers and the brilliant Jamie Morrison for the past few years. It’s taken a second, but we are finally happy with what our new band is ….” Posting some footage from the show in conjunction with the message he went on to say “Yesterday we played the songs for the first time to a room full of friends and family at Omeara. It was a really, really good time. I’d forgotten how much I missed it. Thank you to everyone there. At some point this year there will be the first recorded music and gigs .. we’re really looking forward to sharing it all with you. The band is called @86tvs”

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A post shared by Felix White (@felixwhite)

The Maccabees split back in 2017 having been together for 14 years and released 4 full length albums. They were an essential and influential ingredient to the explosion of indie rock that happened in the UK during the 2000’s and 2010’s and won several awards for their music during their time together, including an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song “Pelican” on their third album Given To The Wild.

In a statement at the time of their split, the band said “There have not been fallings out and we are grateful to say that we are not leaving the group as a dividing force“. Since then members of the band have had success enjoying other pursuits in music. Ex-lead singer Orlando Weeks has had great success as a solo artist and novelist, releasing his debut book The Gritterman with an accompanying soundtrack to great critical acclaim. Elsewhere, Felix White has been enjoying cultural success in many different facets, including hosting the popular cricket podcast It’s Always Summer Somewhere, setting up his own record label Yala!, and contributing to the soundtracks of John McEnroe biopic McEnroe and cricket documentary The Edge. Hugo White hasn’t spent much time twiddling his thumbs either, with a recent appearance playing guitar for Jamie T on the John Peel Stage at last months Glastonbury Festival.

86tvs must therefore be quite the project if it’s getting these busy bees to divide their time even more. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled and ears primed for any updates..

Taking to social media, the group explained their reunion: “Our friendship inside and out of We Are The Ocean has always remained strong. The last 2 years have really put life into a new perspective, so we thought we owed it to ourselves and our fans to come together and do what we love to do best. In the rehearsal studio we found the energy was still there – it honestly felt better than ever – and that’s why we’ve decided to get back on stage together; to connect, share and celebrate We Are The Ocean.”

At present, the band has not announced any new music, however with the sentiments expressed in today’s statement, we can certainly hope to hear some new tunes in the not too distant future.

We Are The Ocean are a group whose sound has morphed and changed somewhat over the years. The band initially formed in 2007 from the ashes of Dead But Still Dreaming, and was comprised of vocalist Dan Brown, singer and guitarist Liam Cromby, lead guitarist Alfie Scully, bassist Jack Spence and drummer Tom Whittaker. For their first two extended plays and studio albums, the band assumed a sound reminiscent of 2000s post-hardcore, with frontman Dan Brown primarily delivering screamed and unclean vocals while Cromby handled the band’s soaring, melodic choruses.

In 2012, Brown stepped down from the group to pursue a career as a band manager, and the band became a four-piece, with Cromby at the helm. We Are The Ocean’s 2012 full-length album Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow saw the band alter their sound according to their line-up change, opting for an alternative rock approach, which would carry through to their next album, ARK.

In early 2017, We Are The Ocean announced that they were disbanding, and embarked on a farewell tour through Europe, which took place between February and March of that same year.

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Alongside venue founder Ben Lovett and the incredible team that make Omeara the special venue that it is, @maggierogers @theamazons @dermotkennedy and @sonicseagirls show their support, sharing some memories of what the venue means to them… first headline show, first night of their first tour, the first place that showed the power of a British audience… long may it continue! To help raise support and vital funds, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/omeara (link in bio) Omeara x #saveourvenues

A post shared by Omeara (@omearalondon) on May 20, 2020 at 11:26am PDT

Not only will this action help artists and venue owners, but also promoters, chefs, bartenders, and more. Lovett has asked workers from various fields to come together with music fans in saving his beloved Omeara. In a statement on the Crowdfunder page, Lovett wrote that “in an effort to prevent the closure of Omeara and protect the wellbeing of our extended family, as well as ensuring we are still here on the other side of all of this to host artists again,” the venue will be offering experiences, merchandise, and more in exchange for donations.

He explained that “all proceeds will go directly to our staff and artists. Everything above the amount we need will be donated to the Music Venue Trust GMV Crisis Fund.” With rewards ranging from £10 to £25,000, there is plenty of incentive to participate, if not only to save this incredible venue. Fans can purchase clothing, accessories, or beauty products on the lower end of the scale, while for a higher price, they can receive a cocktail masterclass or an annual Omeara ticket pass. View all options here.

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To help raise support and vital funds to protect the wellbeing of Omeara and our staff we’ve reached out to artists, dug into the vault, spoken to everyone from our cocktail makers, suppliers, engineers, chefs and promoters to do what they do best… get creative and think of experiences we can open up to our community to show your support, as well as creating some special moments along the way! So whether it’s buying one of our new limited edition hoodies, coasters carved out of floorboards from the stage, dining experiences from Flat Iron Square, or your very own full take over of the space, every single contribution will make a difference. For more information on how to get involved, head to www.crowdfunder.co.uk/omeara (link in bio). #saveourvenues

A post shared by Omeara (@omearalondon) on May 19, 2020 at 10:40am PDT

With £9,000 already raised for Omeara, Ben Lovett recently opened new venue the Lafayette in a further attempt to keep the music industry open for  emerging artists. The musician himself  began performing around London in small, independent venues which have housed many more popular artists over the years. It is his hope, and the hope of music lovers around the UK, that we can continue to support both smaller artists and venues and appreciate them for their unique, high-quality experiences.

Lovett also showed his love and support for other musicians and record stores by sharing his favourite albums for Off the Record’s ‘Isolation Albums’ on their YouTube channel. His picks included No Doubt, Michael Kiwanuka, and Leiff Vullebekk.

Supported by UK singer-songwriter Frank Turner, the Music Venue Trust has confirmed that, thanks to the help of fans, artists, and staff, 140 venues have been protected from closure due to the coronavirus. The Save Our Venues campaign has raised over £1 million, while their target is £1.5 million, so head to their page to keep donating.

Image Credit: Kalyn Oyer

Lovett has noticed the closure of many wonderful venues over the past few years due to lack of exposure and popularity in this new digital era – a time in which lesser known artists find it practically impossible to find space within the industry. These grassroots venues often hold huge amounts of talent and memories of world-famous bands or artists when they were starting out. There’s history there which is being ignored and forgotten. Lovett said “What we don’t have here, which some venues like the 100 Club do, is that Eric Clapton sweat on the walls – legendary stories of people that have played here”.

With a 600 person capacity, this venue is part of a larger space containing a food court and bar. The name of the space will be Lafayette, and the hope is that venues like this one will lay out a path for future headlining musicians. Artists with whom Lovett has played small venues in the past include Adele, Jamie T, and Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine, all of whom performed to rooms of 200 people and now play to stadiums holding thousands.

In 2016, Lovett opened Omeara near London Bridge, which holds 325 people and has put on many successful gigs since then. Performers who have played there are Clean Bandit, Tom Odell, Jorja Smith, and Tom Walker, to name a few. This makes Lafayette the second venue which he has opened, under his company, Communion: a record label, publishing and promotion company. Venue Group is the name of the entrepreneurial venture; the next plan is to open an 8,000-seat amphitheatre in Alabama.

Ben Lovett is one of the founding members of popular band Mumford & Sons, in which he primarily plays keyboards, but also occasionally accordion, drums, guitar, percussion and backing vocals. The band has four studio albums and have been awarded two Brit Awards and two Grammys for their work. Starting out with a folk sound on songs such as ‘I Will Wait’, they have now taken on a more alternative folk-rock style in 2018 album ‘Delta’. Mumford & Sons have always loved and supported independent music, having grown up around it and been a part of it for such a long time.

‘Delta’, their latest release, reached number 2 in the UK charts and October 2019 saw a new single release, called ‘Blind Leading the Blind’. Could there be a new album on the way? The band has plans to play at Glastonbury and multiple other UK and US gigs this year, so either way, we’ll be hearing a lot of them. Lafayette will open in approximately 6 weeks and the acts will be announced very soon.

Featured Image taken by Kalyn Oyer.