Stockport’s finest, Blossoms, have started their own record label ahead of their fifth studio album and have already released the first single, as well as a truly nostalgic music video that we can’t get enough of.
The SK lads are now bigger than ever, topping the bill at Reading and Leeds, Glastonbury, and Castlefield Bowl — they even earned their hometown a shout-out from Andy Burnham before headlining Kendal Calling — and with that in mind, they’ve decided to go it alone and establish their own record company.
Naming the label ODD SK (a nod not only to the town’s postcode but a convenient combination of all the bandmates’ surnames), the five-piece has now departed Virgin EMI, who released their first four albums and are now the founders of one of the first new Stockport-based record labels in years.
If there’s one thing we know these boys love it’s bigging up their home, and as for the first song to be released off the label, their latest track ‘To Do List (After The Breakup)’ is as instant a hit as you’d expect — as the new music video that accompanies it is cosy, warm, painful and beautiful in equal measure.
Filmed in a very familiar feeling little terrace presumably somewhere in Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture for 2023‘ and using a single shot of a hallway that seems you spent a dozen house parties standing in, the video tells the story of how a young couple comes together and ultimately drifts apart.
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I mean, the title does give it away but we weren’t expecting how stylised and emotional the video would be — props to the boys who helped direct it on vintage 16mm film alongside frontman Tom Odgen’s brother Ewan.
The song also features one of the band’s first-ever feature artists, with another Stockport native Findlay combining on the track to add a wonderful female vocal to balance out the two sides of the relationship being played out in the song.
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Her verses and harmonies on the chorus are just as good as Tom’s and it makes for a different approach to their usual tracks whilst still possessing that unmistakable Blossoms sound. You can hear the track in full here and believe us when we say the video really does pull on the heartstrings.
The new single is the first to be released from Blossoms’ new record label, ODD SK.
The singer-songwriter is yet to join the boys on their fledgling label, but we expect the alternative and indie specialists to start gradually snapping up local talent wherever they find it in the coming years, just as they did in signing fellow Stopfordians Fuzzy Sun to their first label attempt, Very Clever Records.
Set up with the help of distributors The Orchard and taking inspiration for the new song from Canadian poet Kaur, Tom told Rolling Stone that it’s now “full-steam ahead” on the new album after having been preoccupied with setting up his new bar for a large chunk of 2023.
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We can’t wait to hear what comes next.
If you missed our recent short stuff on how Blossoms got their name, take a look down below:
Featured Image — Supplied/Blossoms (via YouTube)/Press Image
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Manc music legends James announce MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
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Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Danny Jones -
13th October 2023 
