Blossoms – AO Arena, Manchester: Live Review

By At The Barrier on 20th September 2021 • ( Leave a comment )

Blossoms wrap up their current tour with as close a homecoming show as you can get.

Blossoms, AO Arena Manchester, 18th September 2021

And you could tell by the stream of people crossing town from alighting the Stockport trains at Piccadilly and making their way over to see the lads from SK2 that Blossoms are playing with the big boys now. A cause for celebration being the last date on the tour – just next week’s Old Trafford show with The Courteeners to come – while the stats made the significant note that this was the first gig at the arena for 554 days.

A crowd that was seriously ready to celebrate whatever the occasion might be, was caught up in the pre-show music encouraging the packed Arena to fever pitch levels of excitement with Sweet Caroline and Bohemian Rhapsody belted out with gusto. Anyone who’d done their time queuing to get their spot at the barrier was also in danger of being swept away if not by the emotion of the occasion, then by the waft of Tom Ogden’s impressive flares.

Sounding effortlessly lush and armed with a set of songs and an extended band to reproduce them in a live setting, the show was perhaps a landmark that’s marked a key moment in Blossoms’ history. All they need to do now is keep up the profile and team up with Rick Astley and do the songs of the Smiths. There’s an idea. Wonder what Johnny Marr thinks?