NME tour showcases talent of tomorrow

The annual NME awards tour stopped off in Liverpool over the weekend for what was the tour's only North West date.
BlossomsBlossoms
Blossoms

Topping the bill were BRIT Award nominees Blossoms, with the chaotic political punk of Cabbage and 17-year-old singer Rory Wynne in the supporting slots.

Rory Wynne got the show underway with his hooky indie riffs, playing for just under half an hour, with a set that acted as a great introduction for anybody who hadn’t heard of him prior to the gig.

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It’s fair to say that things were kicked up a notch when Manchester five-piece Cabbage took to the stage.

There had been doubts if they’d actually perform on the tour due to lead singer Lee Broadbent recently breaking his pelvis in a freak accident.

However, undeterred, he performed in a wheelchair and left the usual tomfoolery and stage diving to fellow singer and guitarist Joe Martin.

Their sets are blistering, barely giving you chance to catch your breath for the half hour that they’re on stage.

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Lyrics range from the political to dark to just downright absurd at times but if there’s anything they know how to do, it’s have fun and that rubs off on the audience.

They’ll be headlining shows like this themselves before very long.

Talking of headliners, I’ve seen Blossoms seven times now.

Their growth over the past two years is nothing short of remarkable.

For a headline set it’s quite short, which is understandable with only one album and a couple of EPs under their belt.

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But lead singer Tom Ogden has a captivating stage presence and it’s a testament to their quality that they’ve just this past week been announced as the main support act for Stone Roses at Wembley.

Their delightful indie pop sound speaks for itself and their fans lap it up, singing every word back at them.

The highlight is probably the gorgeous acoustic track ‘My Favourite Room’ which segues into a cover of ‘Half The World Away’.

But the whole night was a fantastic showcase of North West guitar music.

Long may it continue.

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