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SUPPORTING the Stone Roses and touring Asia, Australia and Europe are certainly momentous events in any young band’s career.
But for Stockport quintet Blossoms the festival season is where the fun really starts.
Ahead of the release of their self-titled album, frontman Tom Ogden said that Reading Festival is one of the highlights of the band’s calendar.
“Reading and Leeds are the festivals that every band look forward to playing, it’s always the dream,” he said. “But this year will be extra special because it will be the first festival we play after the album is released, so hopefully everyone will have a chance to listen to the songs and learn the words.
“It’s always amazing for an artist to hear the lyrics to a song you have written being sung back to you by hundreds and thousands of people, it’s an incredible feeling.
“We played Reading Festival last year [on the Festival Republic Stage] so to play again this year is great, and the fact that we are working our way up the stages is a great feeling.
“I feel like you have to earn your rights to play the big stages, we feel like everyone who comes to see us, every show we play, we have earned it.
“Obviously being a northern band, in the past we have always had a bigger reaction at the northern festivals, so Leeds and Reading definitely have different atmospheres for us. But because we have toured so much this year, and we’ve played in so many different places I think this year will be a lot different. We played the Isle of Wight Festival and people knew our songs, it was crazy.
“You get a good mix of people at festivals, you get the hardcore fans who know all the words but you also get those who just wander into the tent and end up liking what they hear. It’s a great platform to get our music out to new people. We’re really looking forward to it.”
Blossoms play the NME/Radio 1 Stage on Saturday, August 27. Their self-titled debut album Blossoms is released on August 5 through Virgin/EMI Records. For more information visit www.blossomsband.co.uk.
Reading Festival weekend tickets are £205 (plus £8 booking fee), day tickets are £59.50 (plus £7 booking fee). To buy tickets and to see the full line-up so far visit www.readingfestival.com.
