OCT at O2 Ritz Manchester 13-06-26

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Starting the weekend with their first UK appearance at Download Festival in the Ace of Spades tent, the musical comedy group OCT (ON COMPANY TIME) embarked on their PTO (Paid Time Off) tour across Europe, which, due to a fast sell-out, was followed by an upgraded show at O2 Ritz Manchester. The trio has quickly grown their following online by blending humour and harmonies, resulting in something that bridges the gap between a Broadway show, a concert, and a comedy show.

Instead of having another band open, the trio opted for just over an hour long DJ set from someone who the crowd were unfamiliar with but still got everyone up and dancing, with all the usual songs you’d expect to find in a British school disco/ wedding playlist, but with added comedy classics such as ‘I’m On A Boat’, for those familiar with SNL, and Bo Burnham’s ‘Problematic’. This warmed everyone up for the show that followed, whether by getting them up and dancing or by giving them time to get more beers at the bar. His set concluded with a rickroll, throwing in an extra last-minute touch of humour, which rounded off the set well.

ON COMPANY TIME‘s self-titled debut album tells the story of three coworkers avoiding work, but to differentiate the album from the live show, the songs were played in a different order and some story elements were added, such as poking fun at those who use AI. Their show was incredibly well put together, with a clear narrative, expert stage presence, even some choreography and props like the comically large pair of clogs; everything down to the lighting had been perfected, and it all shone through in their performance.

The band offer a sense of relatability to the audience, with songs that joke about eating too much ‘Meat and Cheese‘, struggling to give up vaping, lactose intolerance and even wanting a hug, with their new single ‘Hug Somebody‘. The band even included interactive elements such as asking the crowd where they should go on holiday before launching into ‘Myrtle Beach‘.

Whilst sticking to the storytelling aspect throughout the show, the band still made time to interact with the crowd directly outside of their performance and even sing happy birthday to a young fan in the audience. The band received applause and chants of ‘O C T’ throughout the show, making it one that would be equally as memorable to the band as it would be to the audience who were enjoying every second of the group’s first UK show, with several fans who had travelled from across the UK and Europe to attend.

The show wasn’t over until somebody won the signed pair of clogs they were giving away, via an online fan page where crowd members can sign up to be ’employees’. After ‘Don’t Touch My Clogs‘, this went to an audience member who then had to pledge not to let anyone touch their clogs. The trio then went on to do an encore of ‘Dim Sum Paradise‘, closing out the show on a high with everyone singing along and cheering.