A Midsummer Night’s Melody - Blossoms Illuminate Delamere Forest
- Paul Evans
- Jun 25
- 4 min read
Delamere Forest - 21st June 2025
IMAGES / WORDS PAUL EVANS
There are few more enchanting places in the British Isles to spend the longest day of the year than beneath the leafy canopies of Cheshire’s Delamere Forest. On a crystalline summer evening it’s more than just the sun that lit up Cheshire’s beloved woodland. it was Blossoms, the Stockport five-piece who’s warm, synth-laced anthems have, over the past decade, soundtracked love, heartbreak, and hedonism across the UK indie scene.
By 6 pm, fans of all kinds, families, longtime devotees and casual listeners have wandered along woodland paths toward the amphitheatre, with its gentle slope, Before Stockport’s finest take the stage, The Guestlist and Seb Lowe are up.
Unfortunately, I only catch the second half of The Guestlists set, but from what I heard I’ll defiantly be catching them on their next tour.
Seb Lowe strides onto the stage with a sense of quiet urgency and what follows is a tour de force of lyrical wit and social commentary, wrapped in the kind of driving choruses that speak to both head and heart. The crowd many clutching pints and picnic blankets turn toward the stage with newfound attention through a blistering support set that is as cutting as it is captivating. There’s something innately theatrical about Lowe’s performance, but it never feels forced. At times, his delivery borders on spoken word, rhythmically clever, quick-witted and loaded with barbs. Think Alex Turner’s verbosity meeting Billy Bragg’s conscience. Seb Lowe may be young, but his voice, both literal and figurative is one that slices through the noise. In a summer stuffed with nostalgia-fuelled tours and legacy acts, his set feels vital, current and unflinchingly sincere. He doesn’t just warm up the crowd, he jolts them awake.
As twilight cloaks the forest and the final streaks of gold fade behind the trees, an ambient hum begins to swell beneath the canopy. It isn’t birdsong or breeze, but the intro tape for Blossoms, whose onstage arrival sends a ripple through the huge crowd. Opening with the strutting, playful Your Girlfriend they waste no time setting their tone: glimmering synths, Tom Ogden’s ever-suave croon and melodies that roll like summer waves. It feels like a secret unveiled, caught between friendship and longing as the crowd bounce from the first chorus.
The magic deepens with the moody shimmer driving rhythm of I Can’t Stand It, one of the band’s finest odes to romantic obsession. There’s a richness in the live arrangement that only forest acoustics can conjure, the kind where each synth ripple seems to hang in the air a moment longer as the crowd sing back every chorus. Under strings of stage lights, Getaway is tailor-made for open skies and moonlit nights. Warm guitar jangles and Ogden’s vocal ignites small dances in the audience. t feels cinematic, a yearning escape soundtrack for thousands of collectively dreaming festivalgoers. If there’s a better current song than Perfect Me to hear on a majestic summer night then I’m all ears. Built on a breezy driving rhythm with sparkling keyboards the chorus hits with effortless uplift, sending arms aloft across the forest floor. Ogden looks every inch the indie showman, pacing the length of the stage with a soft confidence. “You alright, Delamere?” he asks, flashing a grin.
After the soaring lightness of Perfect Me, the band barely pause as they slide seamlessly into a well-measured musical journey. It’s an emotional trajectory of playful indie gems, synths bubbling behind staccato guitar, kinetic drums and Ogden’s flirtatious vocals, part Marc Bolan, part Alex Turner. The crowd’s reactions are dynamic, erupting in singing and I take it back, there is a better song than Perfect Me to hear on a magical summer evening. The Honeymoon. It shimmers of bittersweet romance, lush with New Order tones and subtle vocal harmonies. It’s a newer addition to their catalogue, but its yearning refrain is sung back with the fervour of a fan favourite. It's blisteringly good and a close your eyes and look to the sky’s moment for me.
Following the final chords of There’s a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) fading into the forest air, Charlemagne is bright, bouncing, unmistakable and triggers a euphoric eruption from the crowd. If there’s one song that defines Blossoms’ rise from Stockport bar-band to festival-headlining mainstays, it’s this one. The performance is nothing short of electric. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it becomes the biggest singalong of the night before the evening closes with Gary. Fans sing along emphatically fuelled by stars overhead while delicate lighting holds the moment and Ogden’s voice shows both charm and emotional control. His phrasing capturing sincerity, in contrast to the anthemic track moments.
In the first full week of summer 2025, Blossoms have affirmed their regional roots, musical evolution and their position in the British indie landscape. They’ve enveloped the audience in nostalgic joy, lyrical sincerity and shimmering indie-pop grandeur. In a pop landscape often cluttered with transient streaming trends and viral stunts, Blossoms remain committed to the old-school virtues of melody, sincerity and performance. And perhaps that’s why their fanbase has grown, not shrunk, over the years. Where Blossoms go from here is a fascinating question. They've evolved far beyond their indie pop beginnings, incorporating elements of synthpop and glam into their work. They’re now capable of headlining forests and festival main stages while still sounding like your mate’s band from down the road. An achievement that speaks volumes about their authenticity. Tonight, at Delamere Forest it wasn’t just a career victory lap, it felt like a new beginning.
SETLIST
1/ Your Girlfriend
2/ I Can't Stand It
3/ Getaway
4/ Perfect Me
5/ Oh No (I Think I'm in Love)
6/ What Can I Say After I'm Sorry?
7/ The Honeymoon
8/ If You Think This Is Real Life
9/ The Keeper
10/ Honey Sweet
11/ Mothers Care For
12/ Nightclub At Most a Kiss
13/ My Swimming Brain
14/ Big Star
15/ I Like Your Look
16/ My Favourite Room
17/ There's a Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls)
18/ Charlemagne
19/ Gary
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