Blossoms make shock appearance on stage at Northern…

Blossoms make shock appearance on stage at Northern Quarters' Night and Day Cafe

Blossoms made a shock appearance on stage at one of Manchester's most famous music venues on Wednesday night (December 7). The Stockport band appeared at the Night and Day Cafe at a Co-op Live preview party, ahead of its huge arena launch next December.

The secret and intimate gig, which was invite-only, was organised ahead of the unveiling of the city's new £365 million arena, which is set to become one of the busiest and most important music venues in the world on the day it opens. The 'one year to countdown' party promised an exclusive set from local artists.

There was much speculation about which band would be coming on stage at the event, which saw Co-op Live team up with iconic Northern Quarter venue Night and Day for one night only. Crowds began getting warmed up to the sounds of The Smith, Oasis and The Verve.

As Blossoms took to the stage shortly after 9pm, they received an electric reception from the small audience. They opened with There’s A Reason Why (I Never Returned Your Calls) with the crowd absolutely buzzing and singing the lyrics from the first chord.

Manchester music legend and DJ Clint Boon was also down at the venue for the event, and shared on social media that he was 'involved with something very special happening tonight in Manchester'.

The Night and Day cafe paired up with Co-Op Live ahead of the arena's huge unveiling next year (MEN Media)

Blossoms, who famously formed in Stockport, will remain Manchester for four nights at the 02 Apollo later this week for their latest tour, which celebrates the release of their album 'Ribbon Around The Bomb'. Due to the high demand in Manchester, more dates were added after tickets went on sale.

They will be performing a total of four nights in their home city, at the 02 Apollo on Thursday, December 8, Friday, December 9, Saturday December 10, and Sunday 11.

The event was organised along with Co-op Live, with the 23,500 capacity arena currently under construction next to the Etihad Stadium in east Manchester. The mammoth build is on track to be completed and host its first events in December next year and is set to become the biggest indoor arena in the UK when it opens, will host around 120 events a year.

Read all the latest on what to expect from the arena here in our exclusive interview with Tim Leiweke, CEO of Oak View Group, the American firm behind the project.

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