Whenever Blossoms perform within the perimeter of Greater Manchester, it’s with a certain kind of swagger.
They’re never more confident and comfortable on stage than they are here in the city where it all began a decade ago, a land where they know they can shout about Offerton, or make jokes about the 192, and the entire audience will cheer and understand the punchline.
Last time they played at Castlefield Bowl, they had one album. Now there are four to play with, and Blossoms whizz back and forth through the years in front of the 8,000-strong audience.
At the sold-out show, we hear everything from their very first song to tracks from their latest release, Ribbon Around the Bomb, with transitions between the songs so smooth you don’t even notice they’re happening a lot of the time.
Highlights include The Sulking Poet, where the eight-strong touring band lay down a complex tapestry of an instrumental while dry ice swirls around them, and If You Think This Is Real Life, where frontman Tom Ogden attacks his vocals with a furious staccato.
ADVERTISEMENT
He has more stage presence than ever with his new retro haircut and his flared suit, striding around like he very much runs this town.
Tom tells us about the group getting ‘sacked off by Netflix’ after writing Ode to NYC for an upcoming film – they may have lost the lucrative streaming deal but at least we all got a belting song out it.
ADVERTISEMENT
He thanks us all for sticking with Blossoms over the last 10 years, though adds that even at this stage in their music career, he still gets asked for ID.
The band are celebrating their ‘tin’ anniversary, and so when we’re asked to raise a tin to the five-piece, hundreds of cans of cider pop up overhead.
Blossoms at Castlefield Bowl, Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupBlossoms at Castlefield Bowl, Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
We may think of Blossoms as part of a new generation of Manc music, but you have to remember that these guys have been around the block a few times now.
ADVERTISEMENT
They reek of a band who have grown up together, through the awkward teenage years to their now chart-topping success, with a sort of magical musical telekinesis running between them.
After a brief pause during Blown Rose for an unwell audience member to be pulled out of the packed crowd, they’re able to leap back in to the song exactly where they stopped without a single hiccup.
Throughout the gig, I count only one mistake – and it was Tom forgetting to introduce his own brother-in-law, drummer Joe Donovan, while celebrating each band member’s contributions. I’m sure that’ll be brought up at every Christmas dinner for the rest of eternity.
They are immaculate in their presence and their performance, and have clearly grown up and grown into their sound.
With this 10th anniversary gig at Castlefield Bowl, Blossoms have proven, once again, that they’re a group Greater Manchester can be very proud to call our own.
James Morrison is BACK with new music and coming to a beautiful Manchester venue
Danny Jones
Noughties favourite James Morrison is back with his first new album in six years and is putting on a small handful of special shows in a select few cities to celebrate, with Manchester being one of them, and tickets are going on sale next week.
With five records to his name over the course of a career spanning more than 20 years, it may have been a while since we’ve heard his instantly recognisable and raspy vocals, but he’s making his return later this year with his sixth studio LP and this limited run of live performances.
The Rugby-born singer-songwriter, acoustic guitarist and one-time regular in the pop charts enjoyed a successful period in the 2000s, even collaborating with the likes of Nelly Furtado, Demi Lovato, Olly Murs, Kelly Clarkson and more.
Having just announced his latest project, Fight Another Day, which is scheduled for release this autumn, we’re looking forward to seeing him not just back on stage but at a truly beloved and beautiful Manc music space.
My new album ‘Fight Another Day’ is out 03/10/25, and I’ll be going on tour this September. Pre-order the album here https://t.co/1ycLwUTETo to get early access to tickets, with pre-sale starting 10am on 04/06/25. I hope you enjoy 'Fight Another Day', my first single, out today pic.twitter.com/Ud6YKziGXd
Morrison, now 40, said of his latest music: “When I leaned into how I was feeling, that’s when the songs started coming. I started writing about what I was going through. My own struggles with myself. Every day being a bit of a battle. Trying to eke the light out after what felt like darkness for ages.
“I’m really proud of the album in terms of the creative, sonic elements and how I dealt with truthful stuff. But also it’s an album of songs that hopefully make you feel better and make you nod your head and stamp your feet and singalong.”
“It just sums up what the record is. It’s about reminding yourself what’s good. About convincing yourself you’ve got enough strength to keep the fight going”, he went on to add.
Having helped co-produce the entire thing with the likes of two-time Ivor Novello winner, Eg White; Daniel Merriweather, Connor Reeves and Andy Platt (Young Gun Silver Fox), fingers crossed it’s everything fans are hoping for.
As for the gig venue itself, the ‘Broken Strings’ and ‘You Give Me Something’ singer will be coming to Manchester’s grand Bridgewater Hall in September.
A historic and truly iconic place. (Credit: The Manc Group)
With just three other shows confirmed – Birmingham, Symphony Hall on 23 September, Glasgow, SEC Armadillo (24 Sep) and a night at the London Paladium (28 Sep) – Manchester can count itself lucky to have been chosen for these intimate evenings.
As for the album itself, Fight Another Day is due to drop on 3 October and is available for pre-save/pre-order right now; those who do so will gain access to the pre-sale window, which opens at will open at 10am next Wednesday, 4 June.
General admission to see James Morrison in Manchester city centre goes live at the same time on the following Friday (6 June); you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
Meanwhile, for those unaware of the venue itself, find out more down below.
A brand new grunge and hard rock festival is kicking off in Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester grungers, hardcore heads, and fans of all things rock, pay attention because there is a brand new festival coming to the city centre – and it has possibly the best name for a live music event we’ve heard in some time.
Ahem… let us introduce you to Broken Knees Fest.
Yes, donning a name that feels increasingly more relatable the closer we get to the wrong side of 30, Broken Knees Festival 2025 marks the inaugural edition of Manchester’s newest series of rock and grunge gigs, helping spotlight rising artists across the genres from within two crucial grassroots venues.
Very loud music inside tightly-packed, small-capacity rooms? It’s a winning formula that never fails. It’s about time we broke a sweat – here’s hoping the knees just about hold out.
Hosted in the heart of the Northern Quarter, which continues to thrive as a creative hub for new music and art of all forms, the festival will be debuting at small-cap favourites Gullivers and Castle Hotel just across the road.
As you can see, the lineup is full of up-and-coming talent within the guitar-driven space, but you can bank on more than a few bringing their die-hard fans to fill the place out to the rafters.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer punk, hardcore, grunge or another specific sub-genre found somewhere in between the ever-sprawling rock spectrum, there’s something to suit all alternative tastes at this one.
With the likes of Bohmen, Mavis, One Dimensional Creatures and Smother headlining the first-ever iteration of the festival across four stages, you can expect plenty of energy and even more noise.
Set up by the events group of the same name, Broken Knees Promotions, who help platform rock and alt acts across Greater Manchester and beyond year-round, this is more than just a festival: it’s a grassroots celebration through and through.
Best of all, if you’re interested, you don’t have to wait long because it’s kicking off next month.
Gigs go off in here. If you know, you know… (Credit: Audio North)
Broken Knees Fest 2025 is happening on the weekend of 21-22 June, and you’ll be glad to hear that, as a brand new event, prices have been kept nice and low.
The early bird window had prices starting from just £12, and although this tier has now sold out, day tickets are still only £15 while a full weekend pass will set you back £25.
Until then, why not dive into another load of new Manchester music? We round up artists from all genres each month; we’ll also confess to leaning slightly more towards the heavier stuff from time to time.
Daisy Jackson -
7th July 2023 
