Stockport band Blossoms are the first to challenge BBC Sport’s football expert Mark Lawrenson ahead of the new Premier League season.
Each week, Lawro takes on a challenger in his Premier League predictions game – and Tom Ogden and Charlie Salt from the indie band are first up.
Blossoms, whose debut album reached number one in the charts on Friday after being released last week following their hometown gig at Stockport Plaza, have locked in their score predictions on the BBC Sport website.
Blossoms’ singer and guitarist Tom told the BBC he is a former Manchester City season ticket holder, who grew up idolising former striker Paul Dickov, while bass player Charlie supports his home town team despite Stockport County’s drop into non-league football, but also follows Liverpool.
“I wrote his name on the back of my City shirt in black marker,” Tom told BBC Sport. “My mum wasn’t too happy about that.
“I don’t miss those days when we were struggling, though. You want to be winning the league, don’t you?
“Dickov is still my hero because he was playing for us when I first got into football but Sergio Aguero is the man.”
The musical pair predict a 4-0 win for City over Sunderland tomorrow – but a 5-0 defeat for neighbours United at Bournemouth on Sunday.
Their full list of predictions is on the BBC Sport website and the challenge will be updated over the weekend.
Blossoms have also been praised by Stockport Council Leader Alex Ganotis on the day their debut album, Blossoms, reached number one.
Cllr Ganotis said: “For a local band like Blossoms to achieve a No 1 album at the first attempt is something to be very proud of indeed.”
Blossoms, named after the landmark pub on the A6 just south of Stockport town centre, released their debut album last Friday, just months after famously knocking Adele off the top of the single charts in February.
Since 2014 they have gone from practising in a scaffolding yard near to Edgeley Park to playing over 200 gigs, including a sell-out crowd in June at Glastonbury.
Tom, 22, said: “We’re over the moon. This is what we wanted and we couldn’t be happier.
“To be able to say we’re touring the world with a No 1 album under our belts is everything we could have hoped for.
“A massive thank you to everyone who has supported us so far, we hope to continue doing Stockport proud and as Councillor Ganotis has already said, we’re hoping this is just the beginning.”
