A packed-out Potterrow welcomes Stockport pop sensations Blossoms to Edinburgh as part of their UK tour. The fledgling five-piece have gone from strength to strength in 2016, having bagged a No.1 album in August at the first time of asking. The reception they’re given by the boisterous mix of teens, tweens and threens is testament that their popularity isn’t confined to south of the border or to a single age group either, for that matter.
The warm-up acts get things kicked off at the back of seven, with fellow breakthrough artist Georgie’s brand of upbeat pop-rock providing the perfect platform to start proceedings. After the Nottingham singer-songwriter has eased the crowd in nicely with her soulful, strong vocals, INHEAVEN take to the stage. Things step up a gear here with the South London four-piece bringing a distinctly grittier, grungier rock to the evening, as the front half of the dome hall steadily begins to fill.
Finally, Blossoms arrive onto the stage at a time fashionably later than their billing. Their entrance is greeted with an uproarious welcome and the band slip easily into performance mode, rattling through the first three songs of their set without barely drawing breath. It’s only after this flurry of activity that frontman Tom Ogden opens up a rapport with the audience, though crowd banter will be at a premium throughout the gig and largely limited to introducing members of the band one by one, before diving headlong into the next tune.
But what they lack in repartee, they make up for in onstage energy and their billowing riffs fill the space inside Potterrow nicely. The light show is worked to good effect to drum up an extra ounce of atmosphere, and the eclectic crowd bounce along blissfully to the medley of summery pop that Blossoms produce.
All in all, it’s a solid but unspectacular performance from a young band looking to build on their huge success this year. While no one on stage puts a foot wrong, it’s hard to escape the feeling that this is gigging by numbers and that the effect would be much the same if a pre-recorded tape of the performance were played to the same sweating mass of fans. In order to really set the live circuit alight, Blossoms will need to find something a little extra, but they’re coming from a strong beginning and should only look upwards for future dates.