NME AWARDS TOUR 2017 | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Sat 25 Mar
Opening this, the latest multi-band tour to traverse the UK under the NME banner, was Rory Wynne [below]. I was eager to see how he would fare live, but there was zero chemistry between him and the band, and the first three songs were very samey. The mood stiffened towards the end of his performance when Rory’s guitar went silent; perhaps his young age of 17-years-old played its part in this situation, as it resulted in him throwing a huge strop. Some would find him launching his guitar twice off the stage very rock’n’roll, but it came off as rude and unnecessary.
A polar opposite to Rory Wynne were Cabbage [above, right], a post-punk band from Manchester who were fascinating to watch. This fiery bunch were led by front man Lee Broadbent, spluttering water onto the crowd created a stir and the odd mosh pit. Commenting on controversial topics such as their song Free Steven Avery (concerning the prisoner from Making A Murderer) and the lyric “Death to Donald Trump” feels restorative. Although their performance was total madness, there was sense to what they were singing. I can see how they have cemented their name as one to watch for 2017.
This gig felt like a hierarchy of melody and professionalism, with the indie-pop Blossoms [above, left] certainly dominating on top. As At Most A Kiss kicked off their headline set, the crowd felt very adolescent, smartphones capturing each and every moment (which surely defies the point of being here)? Textia followed, and if I closed my eyes, the similarity was unavoidable between Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner and Blossoms’ Tom Ogden, who sang the lead. An added extra for Blossoms, though, is their use of haunting synth parts, and the fact their songs are insanely catchy.
They continued to perform the best tracks from their chart-topping debut album – Getaway, Honey Sweet – before Tom Ogden did a short yet moving acoustic rendition of Wham’s Last Christmas. They returned to stage for a four-song encore, finishing off with their best-known tune to date, Charlemagne. Everyone roared the chorus, amidst an awesome atmosphere. While the night got off to a poor start with Rory Wynne, Blossoms finished it on a high.
words CADI DAFYDD JONES photos JONATHAN HERRON