I’m back at Castlefield Bowl for the second time this week, but as much as I like Blossoms, surely they can’t match Pulp the other night… can they? We’ll have to wait to find out because first up it’s the local legends Inspiral Carpets. I came of age (that’s a very old saying proving my point) during the baggy heyday in the city, so despite not professing to be the biggest Inspirals fan, there’s something about this sound that feels like a warm hug. Alright the youthful abandon has abandoned them, but songs like ‘She Comes In The Fall’, ‘This is How it Feels’, ‘I Want You’ and ‘Dragging Me Down’ still sound great. To be fair it all sounds pretty good, but let’s face it, it’s a very different sound to Blossoms and the crowd are more polite than engaged. Clapping as songs finish, then getting back to chatting as the next one starts. ‘Saturn 5’ does get everyone bouncing, but nothing like the sort of delirium that meets Blossoms as they take the stage.
They all rather dapper, dressed in black as they slip into ‘Your Girlfriend’. Bolstered by some back up they’re an 8 headed pop machine. “Good evening Manchester, we’re Blossoms from Stockport” announces Tom and thousands of arms, pints and phones are thrust into the air. They’ve always been more than an indie pop band but they’ve grown into a full on funk laden disco fuelled behemoth. Seriously they’ve got the crowd in the palm of their hands instantly and for 90 minutes don’t let go. They’re a proper show band. They do The Hives freeze thing better than The Hives during ‘Oh No (I Think I’m in Love)’ and it feels like we’re in the middle of a joyous festival crowd for ‘The Keeper’ with the piano in there and a ton of extra percussion the sound is massive. ‘Ribbon Around the Bomb’ is that warm hug I mentioned earlier. Such a lovely song, such lovely sound. The new stuff really does hit another level. ‘Ode to NYC’s driving rhythm makes you feel like your travelling round the place, not stuck in a dreary Manchester evening where the sun has buggered off for hours. It partners wonderfully with ‘The Sulking Poet’ and I’m left feeling rather overcome. They are ridiculously tight. There’s a brief interlude as someone faints down the front and they stop to make sure everyone’s okay. With a thumbs up they crash right back in where they left off, note perfect, it’s bloody impressive. From Joe’s drumming to Josh’s guitar, there’s depth that when played live will knock you off your feet. I witness several people go down, although adult beverages might have something to do with that too. Let’s not forget Miles’ keyboard either, on ‘At most a Kiss’ that synth sound sounds superb. “Castlefield let me hear you scream” comes the call and the response is bloody loud seeing as we’re stood outside. On the whole the sound is solid, not always the case here, but hats off to the crew, they’ve nailed it. After we split to do the silly encore ritual and the crowd have been left singing ‘Half a World Away’ they return with ‘There’s a Reason Why’ which after its subtle intro explodes, the floor bounces and someone lights the shitest flare I ever seen. I’ve seen more smoke off a vape. Things get raucous for the predicable closer ‘Charlemagne’, topping a confident set from a brilliant band. Were they as good as Pulp? Maybe not quite but they are bloody good, probably the best I’ve seen them and they keep getting better and better. Who knows how big they could be in 30 years time. Superb.
