Blossoms perform 'Songs From The Wedding Cake' at Stockport Plaza
Blossoms performed their newest album ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ in full in their hometown at The Plaza, Stockport.
The group performed two intimate shows on Thursday evening at the 1930s theatre in the heart of Stockport centre - in light of their UK number one album achievement the week prior.
The album marks the five-piece band's sixth album release in 10 years, and is a nod to Stockport Town Hall - which is nicknamed the ‘wedding cake’. Notably, where frontman Tom Ogden got married.
Despite the album only being released just under two weeks before, the crowd featured many fans singing along to the 10 new tracks word-for-word.
As the curtains rose, Callum Scott Howells’ voice boomed out the ‘Joke About Divorce’ intro from the music video as the band took centre stage.
Singer-songwriter, Tom Ogden, greeted the crowd and was met with an eruption of cheers.
He said: “We are Blossoms from Stockport in Stockport!”
Stylish as ever, the band were sporting dinner jackets, replicating the fashions from the ‘Husband’ music video.
The singles ‘Joke About Divorce’, ‘Husband’, and ‘Meet Me in Love’ as previously discussed on Tune, had the crowd from the stalls to the circle grooving.
Blossoms are a consistently excellent act to watch live, and having had them soundtrack my growing up, it has been special to see Ogden's stage presence blossoming (excuse the pun) over the years.
As time goes by, the adlibs connected to certain songs have been a fun addition to the gigs, and hearing the new ones was entertaining. A particular line which tickled the crowd during ‘Meet Me In Love’ was “I might even show you my… BAND” before breaking back into the disco-infused chorus.
Recent single ‘Additional Driver’ was a really lively part of the set, it got the crowd dancing and chanting back the call-backs, and will definitely be an excellent song for the arenas. The performance in its entirety was done well, from the police themed lighting to the choreographed selfie between Ogden and bass player - Charlie Salt. This particular performance of the track closed with a snippet of ‘Drive My Car’ by The Beatles. A clever interlinking song choice, as the band were competing against the re-release of The Beatles Rubber Soul album the previous week.
The new album tracks follow Ogden’s autobiographical approach to songwriting - clear, honest, heartfelt accounts of marriage, and the beauty of the everyday mundane moments with someone you love.
On the first listen of ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ new tracks ‘Uma Thurman’ and ‘Fall Into You’ were two personal standouts, and they certainly translated well from recordings to live on stage.
“You've gotta think things through,
You need to settle down,
You're only one I can be myself around,
It's love, I fear it's love, I fear it's love,
No one can tell me it's not”
-- Fall Into You
Another heartfelt moment of the evening was the band welcoming lead guitarist - Josh Dewhurst’s father, Robin Dewhurst, for ‘Uma Thurman’ and ‘The Deep End’. He was also credited on the album as a multi-instrumentalist, so to have him perform alongside the lads in their hometown was just precious.
Moreover, tune ‘Where Have You Been My Whole Life?’ features Inhaler’s Elijah Hewson on the closing bridge, and it was class to see Charlie Salt take the reins for this solo.
Having performed the album in order live, from the whistles to the ‘do do do’ on ‘Guts’ - it confirmed that the band’s sixth release has no skips. The tracks all weave under the marriage theme superbly, and the album is definitely an evergreen release that will be enjoyed for many years to come.
Of course, no Blossoms gig is complete without a mention of an 8ft tall fiberglass gorilla, so naturally the band came back after the album performance for an encore. Performing beloved tracks ‘Your Girlfriend’, ‘Gary’, ‘There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)’ and ‘Charlemagne’ - the group packed in many bangers in the setlist.
Front man, Tom, really owned the stage with the pairing of a long tie and sunnies, and the aura of the five lads was evident - especially as they walked off stage to Dr Dre’s ‘The Next Episode’.
It was a truly beautiful atmosphere in a stunning venue - long live The Plaza Blossoms album shows!
The lads are embarking on their first arena tour (at long last!) in November, stopping at Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Manchester, for two nights at the Co-op Live.
For more information on the upcoming shows, and new album ‘Songs From The Wedding Cake’ - visit their website here.
Setlist:
Joke About Divorce
Husband
Meet Me In Love
The Kardashians
Additional Driver
Fall Into You
Guts
Uma Thurman
Where Have You Been My Whole Life?
The Deep End
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Your Girlfriend
There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)
Charlemagne
Gary
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