20 Sep Interview – Meeting with Tom Ogden, singer/guitarist of Blossoms

On the occasion of the release of their fifth album, Gary, we had a discussion with Tom Ogden from the band Blossoms.

SoundOfBrit: Hi Tom, how are you feeling just three days away from the release of your new album Gary? Are you stressed?

Tom: I’m feeling good! Everything feels like it’s in a great place with the band, so it probably feels the best I’ve ever felt going into a record. I think we went through all the stress when we made it, and now this is the enjoyable part where everybody gets to hear it. The reactions to the songs we’ve put out so far have been very positive. It’s quite rewarding to see people liking the songs, I suppose.

SoundOfBrit: What made you want to record live for this album?

Tom: Actually, we’ve never done that before. We used to rehearse the songs in the rehearsal room, and then we’d go into the studio and start recording bit by bit. I don’t think we were good enough to play live in the studio back then, really. Over time, we got busy and started recording between tours. This time around, we spent more time writing, jamming together in the rehearsal room, so we had actually worked out the parts and played them live before even going into the studio. We’ve been playing together for ten years now, so it felt like we were finally good enough to play live. We recorded in Liverpool again with James Skelly and thought, “Let’s try something different and play it live.” I think it helped with the energy on the record.

SoundOfBrit: You collaborated with several people on this album, like James Skelly, Josh Lloyd-Watson, and Ciara (CMAT). How did these collaborations come about?

Tom: James Skelly from The Coral has been our long-term collaborator. He’s kind of like a mentor for the band. He discovered us back in the day, and there’s a lot of trust there. James has always been involved at some level. We also wanted to work with new people, and James encouraged that. 

I was a big fan of Jungle’s music. I’m the kind of person who asks, “Who produced this?” So I looked at the credits on Spotify and saw that Jungle produced their own records. I thought we should reach out to them to see if they’d be interested in producing some of our songs. They said yes, and we went to the studio with Josh. This was the first time we worked with someone else. We made two songs that made it onto the album: What Can I Say After I’m Sorry? and Nightclub. I really like those songs. Jungle brought a new energy, a bit of a disco feel to them. 

And then with Ciara, I just heard her music one day in a record shop and was blown away. We asked if she’d be interested in writing with us, and she said yes. She came to an Airbnb in Wales with me and the rest of the band. We locked ourselves away and wrote together. It was like a week-long summer camp of writing. It was swimming in the sea in the morning, cooking together, and then writing songs. At the time, I was feeling a bit lost with my writing. I didn’t really know where to go with it. I had a few ideas, but nothing felt quite right. Long story short, my wife Katie and I opened a bar in Stockport, and I kind of lost a bit of inspiration during that period. I needed some external input to help us move forward. That week of writing turned out to be one of my favorites.

SoundOfBrit: When you’re writing your songs, how does the creative process work within the band? Does everyone bring in their own ideas?

Tom: This record was different from how we normally make them. Usually, I write the songs in isolation and then bring them to the band, and everyone adds their parts. Some songs, like Gary, were written that way. About half of the album was written like that. But the other half was much more collaborative, especially the stuff with Ciara. We were all in the room together, throwing ideas in the mix. It was very collaborative.

SoundOfBrit: You’ve created a series of three interconnected music videos with a storyline featuring the gorilla Gary. How did you come up with this idea?

Tom: Basically, it’s a true story I heard last year on the radio while I was driving. The news mentioned they were looking for a stolen fiberglass gorilla called Gary, which had been stolen from a garden center in Scotland. I was like, “What the fuck?” I went home, googled it, and started reading about it. I was inspired to write a song about it, just for a laugh. Then I really liked the song, sent it to the guys, and they liked it too. When we were choosing songs for the album, that one made the cut. We recreated what happened in the music video, and then Rick Astley got involved. It was really fun. We ended up calling the album Gary because it felt simple, direct, and easy to remember.

SoundOfBrit: We’ve seen Sean Dyche in the first two videos and Rick Astley in the second. How did these collaborations happen?

Tom: Rick Hasley we became friends with him. We actually did covers from The Smiths with him, we did it at Glastonbury. We met him few years ago, we became friends and did this shows together. When we came up with the video idea, we asked Rick if he wanted to be part of it for a laugh. Sean Dyche, we actually met him at a Rick concert. He’s a fan, and we chatted for a bit. Turns out he’s also a fan of Blossoms, we’re football fans and we exchanged numbers. When we were making the video, we thought it would be fun to ask him to be involved too.

SoundOfBrit: You mentioned cover songs with Rick Astley. For the Gary deluxe edition, you made an LP of cover songs. How did you choose the songs?

Tom: In the past, when you do a deluxe version of an album, you usually include acoustic versions of the original songs. But this time, we wanted to give the fans something new. We love doing covers, so we thought, “Why not give the fans a full album of songs we love?” There’s no deeper meaning behind it. We just love those songs. It’s a mix of different genres and represents the music we enjoy. It’s more intimate, like the songs we listen to in our cars or at home.

SoundOfBrit: The song Mother paid tribute to your friendship with Joe, as well as to your mothers’ friendship back in the 1980s. Has growing up together, writing, and touring changed your friendship over the years?

Tom: The funny thing is, it hasn’t changed anything. We’re very honest with each other, and it feels the same as it did when we were fifteen. We still like the same things, like going to football games together, Manchester City, which we’ve been doing since we were sixteen. We also still go to concerts. Because we’re both so passionate about the band, we want it to succeed. The friendship hasn’t changed. Sure, sometimes we have serious conversations about work, and it can be tough, but the respect and communication are there. And yeah, sometimes work is work, but it doesn’t affect our friendship. We almost all live on the same street in Stockport, which is amazing.

SoundOfBrit: Next month, you’re starting a tour in the UK and Ireland. Can we hope to see you in France in 2025?

Tom: Hopefully, yeah. We’re trying to work it out. We’d love to come back to France. Brexit has made things more complicated. We might need visas next year, which is a bit of rubbish, really. It’s shit, mate. But we’re doing everything we can to make it work.

SoundOfBrit: During your Manchester show on August 25th, a teaser was shown announcing an Oasis reunion. Do you think you might get the chance to open for them on their tour? What are your thoughts on their return after 15 years apart?

Tom: I’m thrilled they’re back together. Oasis is my favorite band. They were the first band I saw live when I was sixteen. Joe and I went to see them at Heaton Park. They mean a lot to us and are probably the reason I started writing songs. I don’t know if we’ll get to support them. Fingers crossed! I’d love to, but honestly, I don’t know.

SoundOfBrit: Last question: which band do you really like right now and would recommend we listen to?

Tom: I’m really into a band called Thee Sacred Souls. I actually went to see them in Manchester last night. They’ve got a song called Lucid Girl. Check it out, it’s really good. I think they’re from America. It’s kind of soul music, really nice and chill.