Blossoms charmed the Olympia Theatre with a night of carefree, anthemic indie pop. The English five-piece were joined by a host of collaborators on additional synths and percussion to create a larger-than-life sound worthy of an arena set. But they thrived in the intimate setting, which frontman Tom Ogden proudly called his “favourite venue in the world”.

The stage was backlit with a grid of hexagons, a clear reference to the album cover of their January release Foolish Loving Spaces. As the house lights came down and the backlights shone, fans shifted their attention from the eclectic house music (featuring bangers such as ‘You Can Call Me Al’ and ‘Come On Eileen’) to the funky opener ‘Your Girlfriend’. Synth-infused indie rock and funky basslines kept the crowd on their toes, with some fans passionate enough to sing along to the melodies before the lyrics even kicked in. It was impossible to stay still as bodies swayed to the infectiously catchy tracks.

Ogden’s charisma was undeniable. Donning a striking white blazer, he grooved around the stage with carefree dance moves that felt reminiscent of a main character in an 80’s coming-of-age film. He swung the microphone around like a lasso, swaying to the tunes with the utmost confidence. When he spoke to the adoring fans in front of him, every word was met with a roaring cheer. Ogden handed singing duties over to the rest of the Olympia during crowd-pleasers like ‘Honey Sweet’ and ‘Oh No (I Think I’m In Love)’. Though he pointed the microphone to the audience, there was no need — voices in unison overpowered every other sound in the theatre.

Their sound was infused with clear Britpop influences. Just before the encore, Ogden took the stage with an acoustic 12-string guitar for a rendition of ‘My Favourite Room’. It almost sounded like an Oasis cover, met with the same passion as a crowd singing along to ‘Wonderwall’. It ended up leaning heavily into those influences as it became a seamless medley featuring Babybird’s ‘You’re Gorgeous’ and Oasis’ ‘Half The World Away’. The night was full of indie-pop bangers, but the tender acoustic break stood out as a definite highlight. It offered a break from the sounds that had started to blend into one another at this point, and I have to say I’m definitely a sucker for an anthemic ballad.

They closed the night with a high-energy rendition of their hit ‘Charlemagne’, an obvious but well-received choice. The music Blossoms play isn’t uniquely groundbreaking and runs the risk of being too formulaic at times, but it doesn’t really matter in the context of a carefree crowd looking for an hour of feel-good music. The band are perfecting a fun sound that is best heard in a live setting.

See more photos from the evening here.