It was only a couple of weekends ago that Blossoms joined Rick Astley on the Woodsies stages at Glastonbury for a secret set covering The Smiths' back catalogue. This Thursday, the Stockport lads will be back in Manchester as part of Sounds of the City.
Taking place at Castlefield Bowl, the open-air gig will see thousands of music fans brave the potential rain, for a much- anticipated homecoming gig. It comes off the back off Blossoms celebrated, 23-date tour last year, following the release of their Number one album, Ribbon Around The Bomb.
Their tour included four dates at Manchester's 02 Apollo in last year - with two dates added due to such high demand. The band also made a surprise performance at Night & Day, with Manc music icon Clint Boon welcoming them to the stage and describing them as "one of the greatest bands to come out of the North of England".
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Since forming in 2013, the five piece, made up of Tom Ogden, Charlie Salt, Josh Dewhurst, Joe Donovan and Myles Kellock, have achieved widespread success and acclaim - both at home and away. In 2016 debut Blossoms topped the album charts for two consecutive weeks and went on to earn the band BRIT Award and Mercury Prize nominations.
Their most recent album gave the band their third UK Number one album, with the album’s standout tracks Ode To NYC, The Sulking Poet and Care For already well established as firm fan favourites. Blossoms have now had five top 5 albums in the UK, and Ribbon Around The Bomb paid homage to their hometown, premiering at Stockport Plaza around the album’s release in April 2022.
Here, we've rounded up some of the essential information you need if you're heading along on Thursday night to the Blossoms gig.
Stage times and support
Timings for live gigs are always subject to change, so the advice is arrive as early as you can, so not to miss out on the main act and support.
Here are the timings we've been given:
- Doors - 5.30pm
- DJ - 5.30pm
- Seb Lowe - 6.45pm
- Inspiral Carpets - 7.45pm
- Blossoms - 9pm
Support comes courtesy of Oldham TikTTok star and singer, Seb Lowe. At just 19, the social media star has already played at Glastonbury and Delamere Forest's gig series Forest Live, supporting Richard Ashcroft.
Just ahead of Blossoms, Manchester legends Inspiral Carpets will also take to the stage. Back in April, the group celebrated 30 years of music by heading back out on tour after a seven-year hiatus following the sudden death of much-loved bandmate, drummer Craig Gill, the following year. The band first formed in Oldham in 1980 and are known for their hit singles 'This Is How It Feels', 'Saturn 5' and 'She Comes in the Fall'.
How to get there
Castlefield Bowl is located on Rice Street in Castlefield (M3 4JR) and is just off of Deansgate in the city centre.
There are two entrances for ticket holders - via Duke Street/Castle Street, which is also the disabled access entrance, or via Liverpool Road where you access the site down steps.
By public transport
It is roughly a five-minute walk from Castlefield Bowl to the main line train station at Deansgate. Here you can also access the Deansgate-Castlefield tram station where there are trams every 12 minutes connecting to all of the main tram routes in the Greater Manchester area.
By car
If you're driving, a number of NCP’s Great Northern car parks are just a short walk away. There are 1,240 spaces in total and prices start from around £3.95 per hour. Use the postcode M3 4EE if using a sat nav.
The NCP Manchester Central next to Bridgewater Hall car park is also nearby, with 643 spaces. For sat navs the postcode is M15 4PS. The next nearest NCP is on Spinningfields on Quay Street with 680 spaces.
Food and drink
There are usually a number of food stalls and beer tents at Castlefield Bowl where you can buy hot food and drink around including the ‘food village’ at the Canal Street entrance. In previous years, street food on site included Grandad’s Sausages; Wrap Up burritos, nachos, halloumi and fries; and Tibetan Kitchen.
There were also two bars serving alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, plus a gin bar and prosecco bar at the very top end of the site up the steps. For those who are not familiar with the area, there are also a host of restaurants, bars and pubs along Liverpool Road on the way into Castlefield, including Cask, Jimmy's Killer Prawns and Don Marco.
The new Aviva Studios, home of Factory International and Manchester International Festival has also just opened up for the festival and is a two-minute walk away, and features its own Festival Square with street food from the likes of AMRM, Zouk and Hip Hop Chips Shop.
The weather forecast
The current forecast from the Met Office for Manchester this week looks mixed, with sunny spells, showers and longer spells of rain at times. However, the current forecast for Thursday will be cloudy changing to sunny intervals by early evening. To cover all eventualities, the best advice is to arrive prepared for cooler and wetter conditions given it is an outdoor gig.
