LIVE: Blossoms w/ Cupids - The Ritz, Manchester 23.10.15

After being spotted by The Coral’s James Skelly, Blossoms are fast becoming one of the most exciting names in new music, and just a week before their next album release, we got the chance to check out their live set at their sold out hometown show.

The main support for the night came from Cupids. I’d previously known Cupids as The Gramotones and though it took me a while amongst all my quizzing as to why they looked and sounded so similar, they were, in fact, the same band – for the most part that is. Cupids still have their ’60s beat influenced sound, but they’ve also got a whole new collection of songs and a much bigger performance; one that filled The Ritz quite easily.

Judging by the crowd at The Ritz, Blossoms’ fanbase is an odd one – by which I mean anyone and everyone. As expected there was no shortage of overexcited teenagers, gaggling at the front, but the venue seemed to be dominated by an older crowd. Blossoms clearly appeal to the masses.

Swaggering on with the cool, collectedness of a much more experienced band, Blossoms were greeted by a borderline hysterical crowd; it’s bizarre – but undeniably heartwarming – to see such a young band get the reception they do, and it’s clear they deserve it.

The band played through a pretty strong, and definitely well calculated set, latest single ‘Charlemagne’ played surprisingly early on, but still went down a treat, and the rest of the set was pretty much a mass singalong. That’s not to say the gig was without its faults and accidents – a pint spilled on a pedal board meant far too long spent fumbling around, and an arguably misplaced cover made the end of the set feel a little lazy. But then again it’s easy to forget that, despite their success, Blossoms are still a new band, and they’re still learning. A first headline set at the Ritz is never going to go swimmingly, but they certainly did a very good job.