BLOSSOMS – BACK TO STOCKPORT

We are greeted by five unsuspecting northerners, all of them apparently unphased by the thrill of being interviewed on camera. From the get-go, it is their modesty and charm that sets the tone.

Solidifying their Stockport roots by naming themselves after a local pub, the band’s organic beginnings are the focal point of the opening five minutes. Having found each other through mutual friends on the Stockport music scene, they moved through their formative years by getting creative with practically non-existent budgets and £1 profit margins in order to scrape together decent looking music videos and find their sound.

 

Though their success was rapid and continues to gain momentum it was in the midst of their new-found popularity that they landed on a full circle moment; upon return to Stockport for their homecoming show, and the first ever gig to be staged at Edgeley Park.

 

Quite a contrast to their laddish charm behind the scenes, on stage they are unified both in look and sound, sporting colourful specially tailored suits and luscious locks; all whilst carrying a distinct Britishness about them, subtly cool and unpretentious. Footage from their show in Stockport is intricately intertwined with film shot in the studio to accent the progression of musical conception to live performance.

 

Between songs we are shown glimpses into their everyday lives, which for the most part are utterly and refreshingly normal. A Halloween party they’d thrown in a gazebo, where they dressed up as The Spice Girls, is an amusing topic of conversation during a radio interview. It seems their lives are much more reminiscent of University students than a band with millions of monthly listeners on Spotify. On occasion the relative normality of their lives is overstated, which makes you question how true it really is, perhaps undermining their likeability, only slightly.

 

The film is peppered with reminders of the band members’ humble beginnings, with short insights into their childhoods, teenage years, and first jobs. At one point during rehearsals at Edgeley Park Josh (lead guitar) notices a pitch side advert for the pizza delivery place where he used to work. The moment speaks for itself.

 

In its purest form the documentary is a love letter to Stockport. So, it is no surprise that Blossoms show at Edgeley Park comes enwrapped in a deep sense of responsibility to make their supporters proud and to help put Stockport firmly on the map. Moreover, in spite of their commercial successes thus far, as a group they maintain the musical flair which first brought them together and continue to create an eclectic and self-proclaimed synthetic guitar pop sound.

- Rachel Goodman

Image : Amazon Prime

@rachelgoodman94