Beloved British Rock icons Blossoms have done it again- amidst the hype of their newest album 'Gary', the five-piece have hit the road around the UK to showcase their never-ending abundance of iconic indie-rock musical goodness. Rebecca Hinchliffe reports on their evening in Lincoln.
With the doors opening late, the queue into the venue snaked around the courtyard outside the University of Lincoln's Students’ Union, where the Engine Shed can be found. Walking into the venue from the cold Tuesday night, the fairy lights in the Engine Shed provided a warm light onto the crowd. The buzzing atmosphere hummed above the background music as we all waited for the opener to come onto the stage. The venue was filled with people of all ages; its easily the most diverse crowd I’ve seen at a gig, showing the general appeal that Blossoms have.
Red Rum Club came onto the stage not long after the crowd had all filtered in; admittedly not being too familiar with their music, I was carried by the crowd, who knew some of their songs. The highlight song for me was ‘Vanilla’ as it stood out against their overall sound. The trumpet, used throughout many of their songs, is what stood out to me as their signature sound. With many bands nowadays sticking to the traditional guitar, bass and drums set up, it seems they aren’t venturing into different instruments and the depth they provide, like Red Rum Club, who seem to be one step ahead. Their set closed with front man Fran Dooran’s promise of an amazing night; courtesy of Blossoms, the crowd grew increasingly excited.
Blossoms took to the stage, the band all in white except frontman Tom Ogden, whose look is marked by his rockstar-esque long hair. Instead, he was wearing black, matching the support band, alluding to their cohesion as artists. The band opened with Your Girlfriend, a single from their 2020 album Foolish Loving Spaces, setting the tone for the rest of the night with the upbeat melody; the set cleverly weaved in their classics alongside their new songs from 2024 album Gary. Blossoms’ performance not only stands out due to their iconic lyrics and catchy melodies but also due to their stage presence. They bring a slight choreography and exciting use of lighting that provides a narrative and airiness to the show, working well with their music and lyrics - and then of course, there’s Gary- who we’ll get to later! Blossoms offer a performance that other bands in the space just don’t seem to: a well thought out show full of joy and smiles, instead of taking the stance of simply standing and singing. With Blossoms being one of the big bands in the rising of next generation Britpop, their performance shows a different side to the alternative genre, acting as an example that the genre can offer more performativity and humour, rather than being so serious – a Blossoms gig is a night out!
"Blossoms offer a performance that other bands in the space just don’t seem to."
Their use of choreography, seen the most clearly in their song nightclub from new album Gary, had the band dancing in pairs in a line, like they were in a nightclub; although simple and hugely tongue-in-cheek, this added to the experience and overall vibe in the room. The neon light that was brought on stage for the song also offered a more immersive feeling. This use of lighting was then seen in their next song Big Star, also from the new album, with frontman Tom Ogden explaining his personal experience that created the idea for the song. The quick change in lights reflected what he was describing brilliant, further involving the crowd and bringing them into his story. Finally, on to the topic of ‘Gary’- the moment many in the crowd had been waiting for; being the title track of both the tour and the album, the song’s placing near the end of the setlist, but not as the final song, highlights Blossoms non-formulaic approach. A model of Gary the Gorilla, about whom the song is written, arrived on stage to the lights being blue and red, with police sirens marking the start of the song. To Blossom’s fans, this song encapsulates the appeal of the band, with their funny lyrics about an 8ft Gorilla statue that got stolen from a garden centre alongside their trademark melodies that are always interesting and different from each other. A quick look around the audience highlighted the fun that Blossoms bring – everyone was smiling and dancing along to the well-crafted, infectious riffs.
"With Blossoms being one of the big bands in the rising of next generation Britpop, their performance shows a different side to the alternative genre, acting as an example that the genre can offer more performativity and humour, rather than being so serious – a Blossoms gig is a night out!"
After Gary, the band had a more introspective moment, performing the only acoustic song of the night, My Favourite Room, from their first self-titled album, which ended in a mix of You’re Gorgeous by Babybird and Oasis’ Half the World Away as part of the outro; great moments for those in the crowd who were perhaps not as familiar with the Blossoms music, but were there accompanying someone who was. For me, this reflects that, in the Blossoms gig, there was something for everyone as they had covered such a wide variety of their songs. Finishing the night with their biggest hit Charlemagne meant the night ended on a euphoric note as the crowd were all joining in with the lyrics. The crowd then filtered back out, buzzing on how great the night had been. Then off back to the train station and home to Nottingham, for me. My only criticism of the night would be the lack of Ribbon around the Bomb, which is a personal gripe as it is one of my favourites!
Rebecca Hinchliffe
Edited by Bethany Coldwell
Images courtesy of Blossoms on Facebook (2024)
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