Blossoms, Band on the Wall. 30th April 2022

Blossoms are certainly at the poppier end of my listening habits, but things might be changing. Up til now I’ve liked a lot of the singles without ever really falling in love with any of their albums. In fact I’ve enjoyed their brilliant podcast with them chatting nonsense in their namesakes pub more than any of the first three albums, which is pretty damning praise. We’re here this early evening (there’s another show to follow) in Band on the Wall to mark the release of their 4th album ‘Ribbon Around The Bomb’ and despite it only being released yesterday, I’m prepared to label it a cracker. Much more soulful, with definite tinges of Marr and The Coral, with even a bit of Noel on ‘The Writer’, it’s dare I say it much more mature. Slower paced, full of strings, vocal harmonies and a general tone of blissed out reflectiveness. Compare it to their earlier albums and it’s pretty different. There’s still plenty of catchy tunes, but there’s no out and out bangers. ‘Ode to NYC’ and title track ‘Ribbon Around The Bomb’ are both joyous though, as is ‘The Sulking Poet’, but it’s tracks like ‘Born Wild’ with its jangly Johnny Fucking Marr guitar that really sounds like they’re branching out. I think there’s only the Nile Roger’s disco flecked ‘Care For’ that I don’t… care for. But this isn’t an album review. How do these songs sound live‽ Well we’re made to wait a little while they prime us with some hits, but the short answer is the new songs sound great live, fitting in nicely with the more bombastic hits. ‘The Sulking Poet’ sounds huge, not all that surprising with 8 of them on stage, extra percussion and guitar to fill this already pretty big sound. I was hoping for more new stuff, we get 6, but they’re all brilliant and the rest of the hit filled set gets Band on the Wall bouncing. It’s pretty marvellous. ‘The Keeper’ has turned into a live monster and they all look at ease as they raise the roof. They brim with confidence and it’s by far the best I’ve seen them. ‘Cinerama Holy Days’ lives up to its name and even Josh cracks a smile. ‘Born Wild’ though is the stand out for me, but to be honest it’s a fantastic set and to hear it in such a small space is amazing.