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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Wet Leg proved they’re well beyond the hype with a triumphant Castlefield Bowl debut
Clementine Hall
The Isle of Wight five-piece kicked off their biggest headline shows to date as part of Manchester’s Sounds of the City series.
If you have ever for a moment thought you are even remotely cool then think again, because you are not and never will be as cool as Wet Leg.
On paper, a Wednesday evening in Manchester should be fairly civilised. In reality? Thousands of people screaming the words to Chaise Longue in an old Roman amphitheatre while the sun slowly disappears behind the city skyline. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Wet Leg rolled into Castlefield Bowl with the confidence of a band who know they’re on a serious hot streak.
There was no over-the-top production, no unnecessary gimmicks – just a ridiculously tight live band and lots of attitude.
Rhian Teasdale remains one of the coolest frontwomen around, demanding the crowd with her full-throttle rockstar energy without even breaking a sweat. The chemistry across the band was undeniably magnetic, and every track landed harder than the last.
Tracks from their sophomore album moisturizer sat perfectly alongside fan favourites, with the biggest singalongs naturally arriving with Wet Dream, Mangetout and the unavoidable Chaise Longue.
Of course a special shoutout must go to Leeds band English Teacher, who delivered a blistering support set that deserved far more than polite applause and warmed the crowd up effortlessly (as if we weren’t already warm enough).
Gigs at Castlefield are always special, and this one was no exception.
For a band that’s spent the last few years steadily building momentum, this felt like another significant step forward. Wet Leg looked completely at ease headlining one of Manchester’s best-loved outdoor venues, and if last night’s performance was anything to go by, there are plenty more big stages waiting for them.
Local music student issues appeal over stolen saxophones just months after graduation
Danny Jones
A local music student has issued a heartbreaking appeal after two of his saxophones, one of which possessed a deep sentimental attachment, were stolen in Manchester not long after graduating from his degree.
Conor Parker-Delves, who only recently finished his undergrad degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, has dreams of performing professionally, but a sad twist of fate now means that he’s currently without the key tool he needs to make a living.
Having worked so hard up to this point in completing his studies, the 22-year-old was left gutted when the pair of extremely valuable instruments were stolen from his car after parking it in the Longsight area.
The still green graduate believes the items were originally kept at an address just south of Whitworth Park, along with some of his other stolen belongings, which he says were nearly resold on the high street in Moss Side.
Credit: Handouts (via Conor Parker-Delves)
What’s more is that one of these saxes belonged to his late granddad on his mother’s side, who sadly died when he was very young, and he’s been proudly playing it throughout his childhood. A gut-wrenching loss not just for him but for his family.
Speaking to The Manc, he said: “I have played on that sax ever since his passing and have kept the legacy alive. Losing this sax means losing him, and I am going to fight against this as hard as I can for as long as I can.”
A worn silver Selmer Mark VI alto saxophone (serial number: 240580) and a tenor sax of the same brand (SN: 91928) are estimated to be worth a combined £12,000 – funds a fresh graduate like Conor simply doesn’t have.
Given the connection to his grandad, it’s safe to say that he’s not ready to give up and say goodbye to the priceless heirloom, and being stuck without any means of playing is just cruel.
Unfortunately, Greater Manchester Police have already closed the case despite a “promising lead” that looks to have been exhausted, and now he’s been left with no other option than to issue a renewed appeal to the public.
It may only be a slim chance, but the London-born aspiring musician is hoping that the woodwind duo can be recovered, acknowledging that it is “much easier for the saxes to be handed in if they are come across” rather than be replaced.
Things are hard enough for artists these days as it is, especially those who have already spent their time and money uprooting their lives and moving to a big new city like Manchester.
We encourage anyone with any potentially useful information to get in touch and/or report to GMP online, via the non-emergency 101 number, or get in touch with Crimestoppers anonymously.
Fingers crossed we can get the tools of Conor’s craft and his grandfather’s before him back safe and sound – can you help?
Daisy Jackson -
7th July 2023 
