On the day their eponymous debut album was released – the same day Viola Beach’s debut album reached Number One – Blossoms played two acoustic sets. The second was in the cramped HMV in the Arndale Centre, Manchester. A few hundred excited fans huddled around the Rock and Pop CDs section to hear the band play acoustic versions of their newest songs, and it was a pleasure to be part of it.
The set was short and saccharine sweet; the band mainly focused on their singles to enchant the crowd. The sultry ‘At Most a Kiss’ opened the set, posing a comfortable welcome to the slightly unusual gig set up. The band’s previous singles ‘Getaway’ and ‘Blown Rose’ also made the mini-setlist, allowing them to project a lovely new level of musical skill to their definitive indie-pop sound on the singles.
The only song the band played that wasn’t previously released was ‘Honey Sweet’, a standout on the album. When lead singer Tom asked the crowd if anyone had a favourite yet, ‘Honey Sweet’ was heard most loudly across the upstairs floor. I’d recommend a listen.
The band played ‘Charlemagne’ to end the set, flaunting a use of piano notes and acoustic guitar tabs to recreate the already iconic introduction. This was the song the crowd sang along to most gleefully. In a recent interview with NME, Blossoms said that they “wanted to write an album full of singles, just like the Smiths, the Stone Roses and Oasis.” Even in this stripped back set, an intimate setting for a devoted crowd, it’s easy to tell that the band mastered this wish.
No Blossoms set would be complete without a chat with the audience, fitting perfectly with the intimate setting. This, alongside the album signing – where the boys seemed genuinely thankful that people had come along – conspired to make a lovely afternoon.
Words by Caitlin O’Connor