BLOSSOMS PERFORMING AT TK. MAXX PRESENTS… SCARBOROUGH OPEN AIR THEATRE 2025

★★★★☆ (4/5)

BLOSSOMS PERFORMING AT TK. MAXX PRESENTS… SCARBOROUGH OPEN AIR THEATRE 2025
PHOTOCREDIT: JOHN HAYHURST

The sun was just beginning to dip behind the trees as the crowd gathered at Scarborough Open Air Theatre on Thursday night, a warm coastal breeze weaving through the buzz of anticipation. One of the hottest days of the year so far mean that shorts and t-shirts are the order of the day.

Proper Yorkshire support in the form of Apollo Junction take to the stage and immediately it is apparent that there are a few local fans that have got themselves to the front of the barrier to support them.

The Leeds-based five-piece—Jamie Williamson (vocals), Matt Wilson (guitar), Sam Potter (bass), Ben Hope (keys), and Jonathan Thornton (drums)—delivered a support set that felt bigger than the slot they were given, making the most of the opportunity to play a venue of that size and profile.

They have a new album to promote ‘What in the World’ - not released just yet, but they will play something from it, as they did when they supported their Leeds heroes Kaiser Chiefs only a few weeks ago. However, its Forever and Two Car Family that were particularly well received, the latter introduced with a bit of humour and a nod to their Yorkshire roots.

Although they were the opening act, Apollo Junction played with the energy of a headliner. By the halfway mark of their set, they had a solid portion of the crowd clapping along and nodding to unfamiliar choruses. The audience response was warm—perhaps partly curious, but increasingly engaged as the set progressed. Williamson making the most of their final song by jumping in the audience to go walkabout – a job well done.

I’ve seen Blossoms countless times over the last few years from pokey North West clubs to support slots on big tours, and even headlining a prominent festival. They always impress, off stage they interview as fun friendly types and yet on stage never seem to smile, looking positively miserable while playing some of the best catchy summer anthems around, probably why they fitted so well with the ‘Rick Astley does The Smiths’ collab a few years ago.

From the moment Tom Ogden stepped up to the mic, dressed in his usual blend of retro cool suit, shades and quiet charisma, the crowd was his. Backed by Charlie Salt on bass, Josh Dewhurst on guitar, Joe Donovan on drums, and Myles Kellock on keys, plus a few extras for an enhanced sound, the band was tight and smooth, but never overly polished—there’s always that slight, welcome ‘edge’ to Blossoms live, a looseness that makes each show feel alive and in-the-moment. They opened strong, and Your Girlfriend made this crowd shout lyrics to the sky, arms thrown over shoulders of friends and strangers alike. It didn’t feel too choreographed—it felt communal.

What makes a Blossoms show special is that they know how to build a setlist like a story. It swells and recedes, hits highs without exhausting you, and gives you room to breathe just when you need it. I Can’t Stand It came early, and it hit like a wave—joyous, kinetic, infectious. They would also play 8 songs from new album ‘Gary’ interspersed with older songs like Getaway and At Most A Kiss, that must be around 10 years old by now.

There are key outros to songs that start to incorporate other covers, I’m hearing parts of You & Me by The Wannadies and then a percussion ending to If You Think This Is Real Life with clever use of shadows against the huge curtain behind them. They freeze frame during one song while Ogden goes to the back of the stage for something, only to return and hold the pose for a second and then everyone unfreezes to finish the song. It’s little enhancements like that that make the difference from just another gig to a performance of something more memorable.

The Keeper was always a favourite of mine and tonight people clambered on to friends shoulders, flags appeared and the chorus became something truly joyous. The band’s energy never dipped. Myles added flourishes on the keys that danced across the songs like light on rippling water, while Josh’s guitar lines soared effortlessly, threading between verses with elegance. Joe and Charlie locked into grooves so smooth it was easy to forget how much work they were doing behind the scenes to keep everything moving forward. The chemistry between them all felt unforced, a band clearly still loving what they do.

Lovely acapella intro to Care For and then an extract from local Scarborough bar Chaplins answerphone message started Nightclub.

As the encore arrived, the crowd had reached full voice. My Favourite Room included snippets of Babybird’s You’re Gorgeous and Oasis Half the World Away and suddenly the place was alight with swaying bodies, glowing phone screens, and the warm hum of collective joy. Tom didn’t have to ask the crowd to sing—they already were, their voices rising in perfect, unscripted harmony.

Charlemagne was magnificent and this led into band introductions before the final song- Gary -the curious catchy title track off the album, apparently inspired by an eight-foot gorilla statue, which made an appearance here too. It was bizarre, hilarious, and utterly Blossoms—quirky and sincere in equal measure.

By the time the final chord rang out and the band took their bows, the sky had gone deep blue, stars just starting to peek through. It was one of those nights you try to bottle in your memory—the salt in the air, the glow of the stage, the way strangers became friends over shared lyrics.

Blossoms are now at that level where they should be headlining arenas around the UK, and whilst tonight wasn’t a sell out, it didn’t matter whether you’d been following them since their first album, or if you’d just been brought along by a mate, we all ended the night wishing we could do it all again sometime soon.