Blossoms Live @ Deaf Institute, Manchester 1.11.14.

Blossoms remind us that the Manchester music scene is as good as ever.
Rating:
Rating:

As a few hundred people eagerly wait inside the walls of Manchester’s quirky Deaf Institute, the anticipation is growing, building up to a strong expectation of the show about to take place. On this bitterly cold night that suggests winter will soon be upon us in its full force, the crowd are warmed by their own excitement – and excited they should be.

Tonight, Manchester’s own home-grown Blossoms hit the stage. As the clock reaches 9:30pm, they stroll on stage, all five in black turtle necks. Within seconds the guitars start to ring, accompanied by the pounding of the drums, filling every millimetre of the Deaf Institute, providing an undeniable groove that simply can’t be ignored – grasping you tight, impossible to resist.

As the crowd have warmed up and are comfortably witnessing a fine example of Manchester’s forever growing music scene, the setlist begins to provide us with evidence of the fact that Blossoms mean business.

‘You Pulled A Gun On Me’ fills the room with the mysterious psychedelic groove that the world has missed for decades, it’s undeniably going to be a monumental track for the band over the years, and rightly so. Its capsulating chorus and its hypnotic verses leave the crowd lost within the track, yet they do not wish to find their way out of this mystical world. ‘Scattered Rain’ then accompanies, leaving the room even more engulfed in the good vibes flowing from the band.

It’s clear to all in the audience that these lads are genuine, the enjoyment of the performance spread across each members face. It’s clear to see that for them nothing beats playing a sold out gig in their home town, a perfect time to begin ‘My Favourite Room’. The strums of the acoustic leaving a soothing warmth throughout the room, joined by the impeccable voice of frontman Tom Ogden, creating a magical moment where crowd and band become one – something that is arguably rare to find these days. It’s clear that on this evening, the Deaf Institute is Blossoms favourite room.

As the set moves forward, songs such as ‘Madeleine’ ultimately bring together the best aspects of music into one band, with its Beatles-esque harmonies and Doors like psychedelia – if the boys continue to produce music of this quality, there is no denying they will go places. The overall atmosphere that comes from the band is somewhat reminiscent (especially from frontman Tom) of pre-‘Suck It And See’ Arctic Monkeys, back around the years of 2008/9 when AM could be relatable, when they were still appreciative of the reception they got from the crowd – Blossoms hold all of this, and to their credit it’s good to be able to feel some honesty in their performance.

The band’s undeniably cool charm and groove continues to ooze out of them as they enter ‘Lava’, and as they finish, they wish Drummer Joe a happy 22nd birthday and the crowd join the lads in a special rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’, a special memory for Joe, the band and also the crowd, what a way to celebrate.

The lights go dim for a minute or so and then the band appear back on stage, and then the drums begin to pound to open encore track ‘Blow’, the guitar screeches and Tom’s vocals begin to fill the room once again, all merging together, making a beautiful creation. Another example of a finely engineered track, holding all of the fundamental aspects that ultimately make a great song.

As the lights go down for the final time and band walk offstage, the applause of true appreciation continues for a good minute after they’ve finished. I must say, it’s truly brilliant to witness a group of lads from the town next-door making it somewhere, it’s a somewhat surreal feeling seeing some lads from Stockport playing a sold-out show in one of Manchester’s finest venues, no less than truly deserved – reminding us that the Manchester music scene is as good as ever.

You can catch Blossoms on tour with Manchester greats The Courteeners on their current tour, they are also supporting Inspiral Carpets and The Charlatans on their upcoming tours. I cannot urge you enough to get down to any show you can of these lads, they truly are something special even at this early stage, and exciting prospect indeed.

James Cummins.

@CummyBear.

James Cummins

James Cummins

James Cummins

Latest posts by James Cummins (see all)