When he catches up with Hot Press, Tom Ogden is relaxing at home - taking a break from doing up his house in the North West of England, where he resides with his wife. It all sounds very quaint and quotidian, until you bring up the fiberglass gorilla(s).

“He’s in our rehearsal room at the moment,” says the Blossoms frontman. “We’ve got an 8ft Gary and 6ft Gary, and depending on the venue size, they keep each other company.

“He’s a bit of a cult icon now around Stockport and with anyone who’s into the band to be honest. It’s quite mad what’s happened with it.”

Some context. A couple of years ago, the singer was driving when he heard a radio report about a giant gorilla (Gary) being stolen from a Scottish garden centre.

Naturally, he wrote an indie-pop banger about it, before “doubling down” and naming an entire album after their new (pri)mate. Gary has since become a beloved mascot for the band, appearing at live shows and following them around the UK with some help from couriering company Soldiers On The Move.

If that wasn’t enough, Blossoms corralled a gaggle of famous Garys (your Numans, your Nevilles, your Linekers), who appeared in a promotional video to reflect on the glory of having their name appear on the front of an LP.

Who Would Call Their Album Gary?
‘Gary’ is out now please enjoy 🦍 pic.twitter.com/BXuZ2ZhxxH

— BLOSSOMS (@BlossomsBand) September 20, 2024

“Gary Oldman was the one we really wanted, but we couldn’t get him, as he’s a Hollywood superstar,” Ogden admits. “Lineker was in reach, we managed to put the feelers out and he invited us around for lunch. We came in and he was there peeling basil. He cooked us Lineker’s gnocchi – it was really good!”

The football connections on Gary don’t stop there. Ex-Everton manager Sean Dyche stars in the video for ‘What Can I Say (After I’m Sorry)’, in which the gravel-voiced coach masterminds a heist operation.

“He’s a really top bloke,” Ogden says. “We met him at a Rick Astley concert and we just got chatting about the Premier League and all that kind of stuff. He was asking us about the music industry and touring.

“One of the lads exchanged numbers with him, and when we were coming up with these music video ideas to tie in with the Gary plot, we thought: ‘What if someone was sending us on this mission to steal Gary?’”

While Dyche is currently unemployed, Ogden is poised to vouch for his managerial mettle, having himself been subjected to a rousing pre-gig pep talk in Nottingham.

“He’d be a good manager to have on the road,” Ogden says. “He came to watch us and he gave us a bit of a team talk in the dressing room as a laugh. And do you know what? It was quite inspiring to be fair.

“He said: ‘These people have paid good money to be here to watch you. You’ve got to give them everything. They’re going back to their jobs on Monday. This is everything to them.’

“We were like, ‘Fucking hell Sean. You’re really hammering it home, man.’ We went out and had a great gig.”

Blossoms will be looking to maintain their top form this summer as they head out on the road with Inhaler. The bands share a strong friendship, after being introduced to each other through Noel Gallagher’s daughter, Anaïs.

Inhaler

“Me and my wife Katie went to one of Anaïs’ birthdays in London,” he begins. “Rob and Eli were there, and we hung out and became friends. They carried on writing songs and got to a point where they were put on to support us in Dublin at the Olympia and in Belfast at Limelight.

“We’ve just remained friends since then. They’re like a gang of friends the same way we are, so we relate on a lot of things. You meet a lot of bands and maybe they’re not quite as tight as we are. You could see that Inhaler are actually friends and they’d hang out away from the music.

“I’ve got loads of respect for them, they’re a top band and top group of lads. They did some big shows for us, and we’re doing their big Dublin one, so I’m buzzing.”

Blossoms play as special guests to Inhaler at St Anne’s Park, Dublin on May 30.

Read more about the making of Gary - including how the band enlisted CMAT to help with the songwriting process - here.

Read our full Day Festival Special in the current issue of Hot Press: