IIn the 11 years since they began rehearsing in the bassist's grandfather's scaffolding garden, the Blossoms have completed a metamorphosis from bowl-cut indie psychedelic types to dewy, keyboard-driven bouncy pop. Stockport Quintet's four number one albums place them somewhere between early Arctic Monkeys and the poppier New Order. They've built up a loyal and vocal fan base, and tonight they're here to raise two pints of lager in the air and listen to some decidedly upbeat, beer-y songs.
The audience belts out every line of opener “Your Girlfriend” and even screams along to the instrumental portion of “I Can't Stand It.” Vocalist Tom Ogden doesn't mind the first verse of “The Keeper,” knowing the audience will be singing for him. The atmosphere is like indie-pop's Last Night of the Proms, but the acoustics are such that you can barely hear the musicians playing, rather than listening to a pub full of people singing along to the jukebox. It feels like there is.
Wearing a white scarf reminiscent of the Night Fever-era Bee Gees, Ogden had no hesitation in rooting for Blossommania, urging the crowd to “shout!” Or encourage them to shout in sections. You can tell whether “Perfect Me” or “Care For” is a smaller number because the audience quiets down and suddenly you can hear the band completely.
Blossoms have been touring medium-sized venues for a while now and need to find some extra gear to reach the next level. If you use Charlie Salt's light bass line, which reminds me of Chic's Bernard Edwards, it could become even funkier. “I Like Your Look” is basically that band’s “I Want Your Love” reborn for indie disco.
The songs aren't all about emotional weight or deep insight, but they're often very catchy. The new Gary is unlikely to be based on the real-life theft of a fiberglass gorilla, but a replica of it officially took to the stage and was “shrinked to 6 feet so it could fit inside a building.” ” Ogden explains. The crowd gets even louder as the single “There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)” blares out and Charlemagne delivers the biggest singalong of the night.
