Blossoms celebrate ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ at Kingston’s Circuit
Blossoms’ performed an album launch show in Circuit, Kingston for new record, ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’. Image credit: Sam Nicklin
‘The band perform with a magnetic confidence… as they cruise through the new tracks, basking in the comfort – and occasional discomfort – of married life.’
In partnership with Banquet Records, Circuit marked the first of a series of intimate gigs from the British indie legends; Stockport’s finest Blossoms, in celebration of their freshly released and recently crowned (fifth!) number one album, ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’.
When frontman Tom Ogden asks the crowd ‘is anyone here called Gary?’, it’s no surprise to see a few hands go up – a reference to their previous album’s titular fibreglass gorilla. As any great rock and roll story starts, it’s a Thursday night in Kingston, and the show is wrapping up at 8pm.
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Opening with the first three tracks from the new record, what starts as business-as-usual for an album release show quickly reveals itself to also be a ten-year celebration of the band’s self-titled debut. An album that exploded onto the UK indie scene in 2016, it landed them a spot at the top of the UK charts for a fortnight and produced multi-million hits including ‘Honey Sweet’ and ‘Charlamagne’, both performed on Thursday night to rapturous applause.
At the time, the band was criticised for a lack of edge: not quite the slick rock of the Arctic Monkeys, nor with the neon-clad pop appeal of The 1975. A decade on, Blossoms aren’t worried about that anymore. Rolling onstage to The Beatles’ ‘Drive My Car’ (likely in reference to recent single ‘Additional Driver’ featuring friend and fellow indie darling, Declan McKenna) in white button-down shirts and jeans, they look more like a wedding band than indie rockstars.
Their stage outfits are a tongue-in-cheek stylistic choice they’ve been embracing with open arms – the promotion for ‘Songs For The Wedding Cake’ even saw them performing at a handful of fans’ weddings over the summer.
The band perform with a magnetic confidence, likely gained from ten years of roaring festival crowds, with Ogden pointing the microphone to the audience for entire verses. The energy remains as they cruise through the new tracks, basking in the comfort – and occasional discomfort – of married life.
‘Funny thing, nothing makes you feel more alive / like washing out on the line’, he muses on ‘Fall Into You’, as the smoke machine fades to make room for a wash of purple light. It’s a love song so succinct it stops you in your tracks, taking a moment to dream about your non-existent domestic life with your non-existent partner – or maybe not so non-existent for the Garys’ in the audience. It’s a shame the crowd hasn’t yet learnt the lyrics, the bridge ‘you can walk the way you want / we’ll be taking that road for a long time’ will surely break out into a loving, drunken sing-along on their upcoming UK arena tour this November.
“Blossoms like to talk about longevity, and Thursday night proved they’re on the way to achieving it. Free of the skepticism they faced ten years ago, the band seem wildly comfortable in their own skin, and are all the better for it.”
The band manage to pack a set just shy of an hour full of career-spanning hits, including CMAT co-written ‘I Like Your Look’, introduced by Ogden asking for the name of a woman in the crowd… ‘Lynn, can I just say… I like your look’. The anguish of a first breakup is still felt during Blossoms’ classics ‘Cut Me And I’ll Bleed’ and ‘Getaway’. They slowly rouse and loosen up a majority middle-aged audience, making room for spattered groups of beer-swirling indie youths to erupt.
The new album tracks are just as much a treat. ‘Additional Driver’ sees Ogden prance around the stage lamenting a fender bender with a Fiat Panda, exemplifying one of Blossoms’ greatest strengths – they’re really funny. It’s the humour in their songwriting that brings the new record’s arguably well-trodden subject matter to life. The album’s latest single ‘Husband’, a knowing, self-deprecating song confessing emotional unavailability is brought alive by Ogden’s flamboyancy: ‘I’m just like my old man / not just the nose, emotionally!’
The past 10 years has seen an evolution in his stage presence, leaving behind the long-haired 23 year-old, and evolving into a chic rockstar who looks like a time traveler wandering on stage from the 70s with all the charisma to back it up.
“‘Additional Driver’ sees Ogden prance around the stage lamenting a fender bender with a Fiat Panda, exemplifying one of Blossoms’ greatest strengths – they’re really funny. It’s the humour in their songwriting that brings the new record’s arguably well-trodden subject matter to life.”
As the show winds down, the band display their appreciation for both the past ten years, and support of their newest album. The merch stand is almost out of vinyl on the way out, further proof that their supporters aren’t going anywhere. Blossoms like to talk about longevity, and Thursday night proved they’re achieving it. Free of the scepticism they faced ten years ago, the band seem wildly comfortable in their own skin, and are all the better for it.