Blossoms at The Ritz in Manchester review

Image: Blossoms 

It’s not exactly unusual for a Mancunian crowd to watch family members on stage together. Paul and Shaun Ryder stylised the baggy era whilst in the Happy Mondays and of course, Liam and Noel Gallagher achieved world domination during their 15 years with Oasis. 

What was unusual however was the appearance of Dr Robin Dewhurst; he appeared on stage with his son Josh, the lead guitarist of Blossoms.

A special moment yes, but this was not the only occasion that the five piece from Stockport brought a flickering smile to the lips of a sold out crowd at the O2 Ritz. 

After drifting on stage to the sound of Dr Dre’s 'What’s The Difference', it was clear that the band have a sense of humour and haven’t yet morphed into the sultry stereotype displayed by similar acts.

Opening with 'Cut Me And I’ll Bleed', the band were unfazed by a venue fit to burst, full of wondrous jackets and haircuts. The track itself is somewhere between The Doors and Humbug era Arctic Monkeys, which set the pace nicely. 

Throughout the evening Blossoms dipped into their debut EP Blown Rose, playing all four songs off it. New single 'Charlemagne' unsurprisingly prompted the first disturbance in the crowd, which at times seemed inappropriate given Blossoms’ sound.

Described by themselves as 'Ethereal Nostalgic Sonance', their swirling psychedelia was best captured midway through the set during 'Smoke'.

As the lights went down, the band each disappeared behind their curtains of hair and treated the audience to an eerie, extended introduction of the song. In keeping with the changing of the seasons outside of the venue, this was a perfect juxtaposition to the shimmering, sixties explosion of previous song 'Madeleine'.

There is a confidence, not an arrogance, to singer Tom Ogden; he occasionally toyed with the crowd, calling those who claim they saw Blossoms last year at a smaller venue “lying bastards”.

He was also effortless in dealing with a stage invader hungry for a bit of attention, managing to simultaneously give the fan a cuddle, play his guitar and not look too pissed off. 

After a spilled pint caused by the stage invader threatened permanent damage to a pedal board, there were a few nervous glances but an impressive display of patter from Ogden kept the crowd’s attention.

After confirming they had started working on their debut album only two weeks ago, Blossoms fans were treated to a handful of new material, including the exquisite 'On The Beach At Night'.

Of all the guitar solos performed by Josh Dewhurst throughout the evening, this was the most stunning and will be a treat to hear on record.

The evening hit its peak when father and son were united on stage and the Salford University lecturer enhanced the evocative 'Stormy' (listen above) with delicate drops of piano. Before the song was over there was time to medley it into 'Half the World Away', a subtle nod to another Mancunian rock and roll pairing.

After this recognisable sing-along, the crowd were eager for more and their demands were answered with a pulsating rendition of Electronic’s 'Getting Away With It', which saw Ogden discarding his guitar to take on the Sumner and Marr classic.

All that was left was 'Blow', the band’s most immediate song to date. After teasing the audience with a moody instrumental, the room was suddenly awash with colour and the song’s soaring chorus was the catalyst for the night’s only mosh pit. 

After squeezing every last drop out of their final number, Ogden had just enough time to initiate an acapella rendition of its chorus from the capacity crowd before leaving the stage. 

Stepping out into the harsh October climate belied an evening where Blossoms well and truly bloomed. 

Read: La Luz at the Eagle Inn in Salford review