BLOSSOMS’ frontman Tom Ogden has fallen back in love with performing and enjoys it more than ever as he looks forward to headlining Neighbourhood Weekender.
Stockport’s finest will precede Kasabian on Sunday, May 29 and Tom says that lockdown ‘opened his eyes again’, and now he is relishing every opportunity that comes their way.
“Before lockdown when we were still doing the festivals, I knew myself that I wasn’t enjoying them as much as I should be,” said Tom.
“I think I was just in my own head a bit and you get used to the gigs.
“I remember picking people out in the crowd who looked like they weren’t enjoying themselves and I would only be able to focus on them.
“I would be very self-critical but lockdown gave us a new lease of life.
“We’ve beefed up our live set with percussionists, extra session musicians and I feel I am better as a frontman now.
“I’m enjoying playing live more than I ever have done.
“When people are jumping around screaming the words, that is surreal and it never gets old.”
It comes as Tom has said before that he suffered from imposter syndrome at Blossoms’ Edgeley Park gig in 2019.
But Tom has come back more confident than ever.
The 29-year-old continued: “I feel with time as you get older – not that I’m that old – you just give less of a s*** of what people think.
“When you first come out as a band you don’t have time to take it in and as the years go on, you read stuff and it can get to you a bit.
“You find yourself comparing yourself to people or thinking that ‘I’m not as good as them’.
“Now I care less, just enjoy myself and didn’t take it as seriously out on stage.
“I have fun with it.
“Something that would throw me in the past doesn’t now.”
Tom is chatting to us following a gig supporting The Killers in Doncaster where despite not everyone being staunch Blossoms fans, he is content with that.
“There will be loads of people there that aren’t fans of us or people that aren’t into us and there will have been people at the front bored out of their mind.
“You look to the right and there is a group of five lads with their arms around each other screaming – you can’t please everyone.
“You’ve got to appreciate that we are able to do this as a job and appreciate that we have got well-known enough that people love the songs.”
Blossoms recently released their latest album Ribbon Around The Bomb with an array of more mature songs.
So, how do they translate into a festival set?
“We still have a lot of songs that people will know so it’s getting a balance between not too many new ones but you still showcase the album.
“It’s been difficult to pick a setlist but we have just picked the ‘pumpy’ songs that will go down well live like The Sulking Poet and Ribbon Around The Bomb.
“The Sulking Poet has heavy claps so we can get all the crowd involved with that – we can add little moments to beef the songs up.”
Take the latter song as an example – with a song title that Tom got from a Blossoms fan page describing himself – it is about his former self and how he has grown.
“I’m not good at loads of things but I’m alright at writing songs,” added Tom, who tips Inhaler, Pale Waves and Seb Lowe to impress at the festival.
“I chase catchy melodies and something that will stick in your head.
“I challenge myself as a songwriter to write about different things like The Sulking Poet – it’s not just a love song it’s a personal thing.
“You have to grow, evolve and write in different ways to keep it interesting.
“Fans will look to you as inspiration won’t they? So if they see people they look up to reflecting on things and having a laugh with it as well, maybe they can do the same in their lives.”
Blossoms previously performed at the inaugural Weekender in 2018 in front of a set of lively fans and he is looking forward to doing so again.
“It was mega that gig. Warrington is the amalgamation of Liverpool and Manchester fans and they are some of the rowdiest fans we have found when touring,” said Tom.
“You have got them and those that will travel down in one field which makes for a good show.
“As much as you enjoying everything, when the crowd are going mental then it’s easier to have an extra spring in your step.”
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