Damon Minchella

Born on 1 June 1969 in Ince-in-Makerfield, Lancashire, Damon Minchella is the founding bassist and songwriter of Ocean Colour Scene — one of the defining bands of the Britpop era and a group whose connection to Paul Weller and the wider mod-soul world places them squarely in the Monks Road Records universe.

Ocean Colour Scene formed in Birmingham in 1989, and Minchella’s bass was central to the band’s colossal breakthrough album Moseley Shoals and the run of five top ten albums that followed. He spent the bulk of the 1990s simultaneously on the road with Paul Weller’s band, and performed with The Who at Live 8 in Hyde Park and with Paul McCartney for the War Child charity. He has also been a member of The Players alongside Mick Talbot and Steve White. His autobiography, You’d Look Good on a Donkey — covering Britpop, basslines and the realities behind Ocean Colour Scene’s success — was published in 2025.

He appears on the debut Monks Road Social album Down The Willows as part of the collective’s house band, alongside his long-time collaborators Steve White and Mick Talbot. One of the most versatile and trusted bass players of his generation.