Blossoms played their traditional album launch hometown show at Stockport's grand Plaza on Sunday. Performing both matinee and evening sets which included their recent number one album Gary in full plus six classic tracks from their first three albums, they delighted two seated 1,300 crowds with a performance that demonstrated just how far they've come and how they've developed as showmen.
When Blossoms launched their self-titled debut they performed at midnight on release date at the Plaza. Since then it's become a tradition to perform here in the old seated theatre with each release. Although Gary is now a few weeks old, they took time out between London and Norwich to perform these two shows in a run of five unbroken days to head back North and play the album in full for the first time plus a few fan favourites.
The Plaza is packed well before the band make it on stage at 3.30pm because of unreserved seating in the venue and a 2pm doors. There's a mixture of anticipation and boredom as the lights finally go down for the first set (the hour and a half wait is replicated later for the evening show) but the latter is very quickly dissipated as the expanded eight piece live Blossoms take to the simply decorated stage replicating the orange cover of the album.
Half way through an extensive tour Blossoms are like a well-oiled machine, showing no signs of fatigue having played in London last night. They've developed over the past decade into a slick live act but without simply turning up and going through the same act night after night as demonstrated by the setlists changing each night on this tour. Today the order of the first ten songs is predetermined as they run through Gary in order.
They've clearly put a lot of thought and effort into the set. Tom Ogden tells the story of Big Star accompanied by lighting changes at the click of his finger before they dive into the song. Tom is animated throughout, living out the song. What Can I Say After I'm Sorry is probably their funkiest effort to date albeit it one of the weaker songs on the album. The Plaza crowd don't care though, the stalls have been on their feet since the start and there's folk of all ages, from five year olds stood on chairs to people old enough to be their great grandparents, singing along as Tom, Charlie and Josh do a choreographed dance move across the stage
Gary the gorilla is brought out for the song named after him, a glorious pop moment that really shouldn't work but does. Blossoms have become even more adept at producing these earworms that the audience sing along to the song's killer hook. I Like Your Look has Myles and Joe coming from behind their keyboard and drumkit to strike a pose, and even without CMAT's vocals the song's inherent silliness ("I want your pants, where do you get them from?") is in fact it's biggest strength. While other bands act all seriously, not daring to laugh and joke, Blossoms embrace the concept of making people smile.
The band leave the stage for a second as a neon Night Club sign is brought on and Tom picks up a phone and pretends to call a club. The band reappear with hand held instruments and move around the stage as the song progresses, first Josh and Myles standing on the riser as the song has a false ending before Joe and Charlie replace them at the real end of the song.
Perfect Me is Blossoms at their finest, Tom acting out the to do list to make yourself a better person, pointing at friends on stage and family dotted around the venue. Effortlessly light-touch, it still resonates deeply with people who can relate to its self-love lessons. Mothers is dedicated to both mothers and friends, a wistful look back at the innocence of youth and memories that seem further away with each passing year, set to a wonderful melody and chorus that references both Rick Astley and The Smiths and is sung, like everything else, by young and old alike.
Cinnamon is a joyous sub-three minute song that Blossoms do so well, whilst Slow Down allows Josh to demonstrate his guitar craft that's often understated in this mix. They finish the Gary part of the set with the brutally honest Why Do I Give You The Worst Of Me, a stream of consciousness recall of bad behaviour that Tom delivers with a sense of regret.
They're not gone though just yet. The "all the hits" section is only six songs in reality when it could be a dozen more. Your Girlfriend with its pedal steel intro and outro is bellowed by thirteen hundred Stopfordians for the day and is their second most streamed song. Honey Sweet feels like it's grown up with the band without losing its irresistible charms, whilst If You Think This Is Real Life ends with everyone except Tom on Joe's drum riser with either guitars or percussion (and lots of it) whilst Tom shines a spotlight on them.
My Favourite Room follows with the five of them huddled together in front of Tom's microphone and Charlie singing along with Tom while Josh strums his acoustic, Myles fancy handheld keyboard plays the middle eight while Joe taps serenely on a tambourine whilst grinning like a cheshire cat at anyone who catches his eye in the front rows.
They finish with a soaring There's A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) which feels a little strange with a crowd jammed into the Plaza's less than generous spaces between seats and a loose Charlemagne that ends with an instrumental breakdown and band introductions with Tom forgetting the first show was in the afternoon and not evening, before one final chorus to send everyone out of the building beaming.
Blossoms have become an institution in Stockport, a sign of the civic pride that's been regenerated over the past decade. These Plaza gigs to launch albums have become real events - although this one was a late addition when Gary's number one spot looked under threat. Over the course of two hour and ten minute sets Blossoms remind us all why they're such a brilliant indie pop band, the best of their generation and one that is going from strength to strength with each record.
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