With their new album Songs From The Wedding Cake, Blossoms came from behind to finish ahead of The Beatles in the latest chart.
The Stockport band’s fifth chart-topping album follows their move to UK independent label Distiller Music Group, where they continued a successful relationship with former The Orchard executive James Moodie. It marks the first ever No.1 result for the company, which previously reached No.6 in 2023 with Reverend & The Makers.
As Alan Jones reported in his charts analysis, Blossoms managed to finish ahead of the reissue of The Beatles’ Rubber Soul by delivering their biggest ever sales week. Songs From The Wedding Cake opened with 26,713 units (14,939 CDs, 8,387 vinyl albums, 640 cassettes, 1,152 digital downloads and 1,595 sales-equivalent streams), according to the Official Charts Company.
With their fourth No.1 of the 2020s, Blossoms are now the group with the most chart-topping albums in this decade.
Here, Distiller MD James Moodie and SJM artist manager Conrad Murray discuss the Blossoms chart race, as well as the band’s enduring popularity and strong ticket sales…
This is the first No.1 for Distiller, how does it feel to achieve that a year since you took over as MD? What does it mean for the label?
James Moodie: “It feels fantastic, for a variety of reasons. Blossoms write great songs and have a work ethic like no other artist I know. The whole project is so authentically them from top to bottom, from finding and working with Shawn Lee to make the record, to the band creating their own branding and video treatments. I’m really honoured to have worked with them now over a couple of albums. Conrad Murray, Dave Salmon and the rest of the team at SJM are also great partners for us. To have achieved five No.1 albums 10 years into their career feels very special.
Blossoms write great songs and have a work ethic like no other artist I know
James Moodie
“Sam Dyson, owner and CEO of Distiller, has put relentless commitment, time, and resources into building the label. I know that not just me, but Becca Price, the band’s product manager, and the entire team wanted to deliver a standout result for Sam, as well as the band. “It feels like for me, after just over a year here, we’re just getting started. This is obviously a massive tent pole moment in the label’s history and was a target early on.”
The band got a No.1 on their own label last time. Why did they decide to sign with Distiller for this one?
Conrad Murray: “The band worked with James Moodie when he was at The Orchard and we all love him. He’s brilliant and really connected with the group. We all really wanted to carry on working with him, so when he was poached by Distiller it was a straightforward decision to follow him there. The team at Distiller have been exceptional.”
You came from behind to finish ahead of The Beatles, how did you react to the daily movements in the chart race to come out on top? Were you confident on the Thursday of chart week that you would do it?
JM: “We were aware of The Beatles project obviously, and have nothing but respect for the results their team has achieved across the reissues. Early on, when the band were in the studio back in the spring, we wanted to ensure the record arrived early enough for the fans to own it, learn it and love it before the tour, so early October made sense.
“It was one of those weeks where I genuinely didn’t know where we would end up, I couldn’t even tell Tom [Ogden, Blossoms frontman] on Thursday, and played it down! Ultimately, everyone in the band’s camp worked ridiculously hard and left no stone unturned this week, which is our jobs. We were all absolutely made up to see the final figures on Friday morning.”
James Moodie (credit: Betsy Ember)
This was ultimately the biggest ever week for Blossoms, how did you achieve that, what new ideas did Distiller bring to this campaign?
JM: “Blossoms have spent 10 years delivering quality art and tours and it’s growing exponentially. I’ve known the band that whole time and they are a quality operation. Ideas wise, we always seem to do the same thing, spend several hours right at the start in the band's lock-up and come up with as many ideas as we can. Nothing is off the table. After about seven hours we’d come up with most of the plans, including the pop-up store – which Joe from the band was passionate about – and made it come to life with the help of local businesses in Stockport.
“Other things, like spoofing a wedding in a church and working with James Buckley [comedian and The Inbetweeners actor] as the celebrant all came from that same meeting. Myles threw the idea out there about crashing weddings, and 15 minutes later we had a dedicated email, socials up and 50+ couples wanting the lads to play at their wedding! They also did a gig outside 42s Indie night in Manchester, which went viral, totally off the cuff.”
Blossoms have more No.1 albums than any group in the 2020s. What is it about the band that has proved so enduring, as well as earning the loyalty of fans?
CM: “It starts with the songs. They’ve consistently made records that people connect with, and they’ve developed their sound while keeping a very clear creative vision. They’re also five mates from Stockport, and that friendship and humour comes through in everything they do. Fans feel part of their world. You can’t manufacture that connection and the band have never taken it for granted.”
A decade on from the debut, these shows will absolutely be a celebration for the band and for the people who’ve grown up with those records
Conrad Murray
With a growing catalogue, how is that helping to build their audience, particularly with them now topping 1.5m Spotify listeners?
CM: “Every record gives people another way into the band. Someone might discover a new song and then go back to the debut, while somebody who knows Charlemagne has a whole catalogue to explore. Those songs build a relationship over time. It also makes the live show stronger, you realise how many songs people know and how much choice the band now have when putting a set together. Seeing the streaming audience grow alongside that is really encouraging, 10 years in.”
How will the campaign maintain momentum, what else have you got planned with Blossoms in 2026/27?
JM: “Next up is SNL UK in a few weeks, the band’s first appearance. We’ve been very well supported across the media on the album. Both Graham Norton and Live Lounge felt like a moment and the support across BBC Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio X and Absolute has been mega.
“The band head out on their first arena tour at the end of the year which is so exciting. We have plenty of ideas in the pipeline to maintain momentum across all areas next year into festival season and beyond.”
As well as album launch shows, Blossoms play arenas later this year – how strong are ticket sales for the band? A decade on from their debut, will this be a celebration of their success?
CM: “The ticket sales are exceptionally strong and they'll surpass 92,000 ticket sales on this tour, including two sold-out Manchester Co-op Live shows. The live side has been built over years of turning up and delivering, and the connection with the audience is central to everything. A decade on from the debut, these shows will absolutely be a celebration for the band and for the people who’ve grown up with those records. Having new music alongside songs that already mean so much to people is what makes these shows exciting.”
PHOTOS: Ewan Ogden/Betsy Ember
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