Blossoms
What a band these guys have become since I first saw them supporting The Stone Roses back in 2019 at Wembley Stadium, they were good then, unfazed by the responsibility of the warmup for Ian Brown and company, and more recently this summer they toured with The Killers, which was somehow the only other time that I had seen them live! All that experience of touring and playing with some major acts some five studio albums in, they have become one hell of a band, so it’s of no surprise that tonight the LCR gig is a sell-out, for one of the gigs of the year.
Its nippy outside and we are made to wait longer than normal for some bizarre reason to enter the venue and consequently completely miss the support act! In my forty-three years of coming down here to watch gigs, I cannot ever remember a bigger queue than this evening, oh well at least it gave me a chance to catch with an old mate! But what was that all about?
The warmup music is on at a great volume, belting out Queen’s, Bohemian Rhapsody then finally, the Human League’s, Don’t You Want Me as the band enter the stage. They start their set singing it with us, from that moment on you could feel the feel-good vibe in the room amongst a very wide age group of fans from teenagers to a few of us baby boomers.
“We’re Blossoms from Stockport Tom Ogden informs us, are you up for having a good time?”
They are all looking in great shape but lead singer Tom looks just amazing in his heels and flared black trousers, with his long flowing hair. He is probably the tallest and sharpest dressed frontman that I have seen here since Bobby Gillespie and his Primal Scream band mates when they were last in Town. He is charm personified, regularly checking that we are all having a good time, as charismatic a front man that you will see for sure. What a lovely fella.
At Most a Kiss is first up, followed by Honey Sweet, Oh No (I Think I’m In Love), The Keeper and the Ode to NYC, it’s a quite blistering start to proceedings that continues for the next ninety minutes and there is such a positive happy vibe in the room this evening.
My Favourite Room is done all stripped back and acoustic with just TO on guitar, its sounding great. He tells us the story of its making and of how his brother-in-law, drummer Joe Donovan told him to pull himself tighter following the said relationship break down, no sympathy then, just man up and get on with it. Ogden even finds time, as in true Blossoms tradition, to give us a couple of choruses of the Oasis classic, Half A World Away, to which we all joyously sing along too, as well as a little bit of Wham’s, Last Christmas. Magic is in the air along with a little piece of nostalgia and seasonal glitter.
I have nothing but praise to heap on Blossoms as tonight has been a fabulous gig, tremendous in fact. They have more than earned their spurs as a rightful force on the British music scene.
As the band start to leave the stage, each band member is keenly handing out set lists, plectrums and then the drumsticks follow into some very welcoming hands, these kind and generous gestures kind of sums them up.
Keep up the great work Blossoms. Who says nice guys don’t win. Class personified.
