Having just shot a new session version of Getaway – which premieres below – Blossoms are celebrating the odd halls, rooms and venues where an up-and-coming band can get a gig. Having played early shows at a Stockport hotel where they were supposed to be working, frontman Tom Ogden celebrates all the legs up in a guest column.
Finding a great venue to put on your first shows is an important thing as a band. Blossoms decided from the start we didn’t want to jump into these pay-to-play gigs in bigger venues because we wanted to create something special ourselves.
So we looked for intimate and unique venues around Stockport and Manchester. I remember our first proper ‘headline’ show was one we put on ourselves at The Castle Hotel in Manchester. It had a capacity of around 80, which was perfect for the stage we were at as a band. Fortunately the room was full and I remember seeing faces who weren’t just our parents and friends, which made a change!
Almost a year after that, in August 2014, we staged a series of intimate shows at The Blue Cat Cafe in Stockport, and they all sold out. We like to look at them shows as our Cavern Club era, hopefully in future it will be an “I was there moment” for the people who made it down.
It’s a shame because that venue that helped kickstart our lives as we know it today has now closed down. It’s a shame because those sort of rooms give you the freedom to reach out to people who are looking for something new. I remember the first time we played we played the Night And Day Cafe in Manchester’s Oldham Street. That place really is at the heart of the music scene in Manchester and you get an audience who are prepared to give you a chance.
To be honest I often still go in there as the local showcase nights which we played a couple of years ago are still going and you can stumble across some great new bands. In fact recently I saw this group called Dantevilles there and off the back of that we’ve actually asked them to support us at some of album launch shows later this year. See the right venue can change your life.
Tom Ogden@BlossomsBand
For more head to Blossomsband.co.uk
