About Blossoms
Blossoms are an English indie rock band from Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. Formed in 2013, the band consists of Tom Ogden , Charlie Salt , Josh Dewhurst , Joe Donovan and Myles Kellock .
They were on the BBC's Sound Of new music list for 2016, finishing in fourth place. Blossoms' self-titled debut album was one of the twelve LPs nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2017. That same year, they were nominated for British Breakthrough Act at the Brit Awards.
Unknowingly at the time, all members lived within two miles of each other whilst growing up. Tom Ogden and Joe Donovan met through a school trip to Alton Towers, which both of them were placed on due to good attendance, in 2005. During their time in high school they became 'into bands' from the local Manchester music scene such as Oasis and the Stone Roses and saw both aforementioned bands together. Donovan previously knew bassist Charlie Salt as all members of Blossoms went to the same secondary school, though not at the same time. Ogden began writing songs aged 15 despite not being in a band, encouraged by his father. Salt was previously a member of Mutineers with former Haven rhythm section Iwan Gronow and Jack Mitchell.
After high school Donovan and later Ogden went on to jobs at the Alma Lodge Hotel as event staff. They were later joined by Kellock, who got a job by Ogden's good word after he joined the unnamed band that would come to be Blossoms. Kellock previously worked at a Co-op shop. The Alma Lodge Hotel also served as the venue to the first bands that all five members were in, Salt and guitarist Josh Dewhurst featuring in other bands. After they all appeared on the same bill, Salt and Dewhurst gravitated towards existing members of Blossoms, eventually joining in January 2013. Ogden, Donovan and Kellock often spent time on their shifts discussing the band and playing demos, which got them into trouble several times. On 3 April 2013, Blossoms played their first gig at The Night and Day Café on Oldham Street, Manchester, for £3 entry.
Upon Salt joining the band, they gained a rehearsal space, his grandfather's scaffolding yard, which they could use without paying for the time. The yard is depicted on the cover of their debut album. The band take their name from The Blossoms public house at the corner of Bramhall Lane and Buxton Road in Stockport. Donovan heard both Ogden and Salt mention how apt Blossoms was as a band name on separate occasions, leading to the naming of the band as Blossoms. They have since played shows at The Blossoms.
In January 2014, the band released their first single, "You Pulled a Gun on Me", and on 14 January 2014 they released a video for the song. The video was self-produced with a small budget of £60. "You Pulled a Gun on Me" was recorded at Eve Studios in Stockport. In Spring 2014, Blossoms were signed to Skeleton Key Records . From March through to August 2014, Blossoms embarked upon their first UK tour to promote the Bloom EP though they only played weekend shows due to all members of the band still holding full-time jobs, other than Dewhurst who was only 16 and still in full-time education. They got their first write up on the Louder Than War music website, played their first festival and opened for James at Castlefield Bowl to 8,000 people, on 11 July 2014, which they described as a turning point in the band's future. Skelly produced their first official single "Blow", released 26 August 2014, the video being shot at the scaffolding yard still being used as a rehearsal space.
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