The Blossoms live at O2 Academy Bournemouth (8.11.2024) with Red Rum Club supporting.
Back at The O2 Academy Bournemouth to see some familiar faces over recent years – on the stage and in the crowd. (Venue blog here). It’s fair to say that it’s Sally, my wife, who keeps the Blossoms gigs coming and for me Red Rum Club are as much of a draw – so what a double act on a Friday night. It’s the seventh time I’ve seen Blossoms and it’s a sixth time for Red Rum Club live and a third time this year – neither have been around that long, in my grey-haired gig-going book. (Red Rum Club March blog link.)
Blossoms were the last band I saw before the first Covid lockdown (detailed here) and at this venue. I remember a man coughing endlessly while we watched from the first floor balcony. My wife caught Covid just after. It wasn’t long after Covid that we saw them here again. They must like the place.
We are down front left for Red Rum Club, just in front of Joe the Blow on trumpet. It’s a short and very sweet set. A handpicked selection of eight songs to warm up the audience, including faves Vibrate; Eleanor; Kids Addicted and Would You Rather Be Lonely. Glad we got in early.
Front man Fran Doran is clearly restraining himself and respectfully delivering the support band role, without stealing the show. He mentions the ‘warm-up’ aspect of the appearance a few times, just in case anyone wondering. This is a double header in my book so I have to take the unavoidable disappointment of the short, half hour, set leaving me looking for more.
You know when the drummer is pushed forward and to one side that this really is the support slot. Going along to see a band you really like and are familiar with, in the support role, always requires some tempering of expectations…. but I forgot didn’t I š Looking forward to the next one already.
Rationing my standing, I go for a hike upstairs and find a seat in The Gods to wait for Blossoms. It is a lovely audience. Lovely = no beer throwing and a polite gathering with healthy gender mix and lots of ‘excuse me’ replacing drunken toe mashing stumbles through to the front.
The crowd sing along to The Human League’s Don’t You Want Me Baby, a pause and the lights go down. Blossoms are on and familiar tunes of Your Girlfriend and I Can’t Stand It to start off.
Tom Ogden still looking superbly 70s Top of the Pops set material and is his cheery self.
The set doesn’t feel overstuffed with the new album – albeit seven tracks from it – which I’m grateful for. Maybe it’s familiarity but I am preferring previous ones, best for me being the 2018 Cool Like You, I think.
The Blossoms poppy tunes are hugely better in a venue of this sort, a medium size, nothing too huge. I wander down and around the first floor balcony to get some pics – as usual quite hard to see much with the naked eye around that balcony – by this stage the front rail is a few deep.
Bit of a Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody moment at one point when the band huddle together.
Meanwhile, some of Red Rum Club watch from one of the private balconies.
The gorilla, Gary, is wheeled on for the encores bit. The title track of latest album, Gary, may be a little too quirky for me. Perhaps it’s supposed to be just a bit if fun. I’m sure I will be exposed to the other Gary tracks s bit more and my enthusiasm for this album might pick up. For now, it’s the gorilla in the room.
I get back down to the ground floor for a few crackers to finish and round off a good afternoon and evening out. Off to the M2 bus stop for trip home.
Gigs with Ivan 