Sunflower Bean with support from Lime Garden and Prima Queen
at Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth, UK
photos by Phoebe Reeks, words by David Barter

On the penultimate night of the UK leg of their tour, Sunflower Bean returned to Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth supported by two emerging groups, Prima Queen and Lime Garden.

Prima Queen opened up the evening of music with just the two front-women, Kristin McFadden and Louise Macphail, with the rest of the band unable to attend. That being said, they played a solid set coaxing the crowd to life with their ensnaring sound. The songwriting duo had a warm dynamic that drew out the emotion in their music which resonated powerfully in their stripped-back set. Featuring a number of their singles, including newest release ‘Invisible Hand’, they gradually amped up their energy for a lively finish to set up the following support act, Lime Garden.

The young Brighton-based quartet confidently took to the stage, delivering a performance that you’d expect from a more experienced group. Their quirky style and charismatic energy were compelling to watch, with lead vocalist, Chloe Howard, engaging the crowd throughout in a tongue-in-cheek yet genuine fashion. Playing an array of their work including highlight singles ‘Fever’ and ‘Sick & Tired’, the funky, indie-pop band created a vibe that would make anyone bop along and dance. Lime Garden did a great job loosening up the audience for the much-anticipated headline act, Sunflower Bean.

Sunflower Bean kicked off their set emphatically with ‘Headful of Sugar’, the title track off their soon to be released album. Starting as they meant to go on, they brought their New York big city energy and lit up the stage. Julia Cumming commanded the stage with her talented vocals and progressive bass lines, whilst guitarist Nick Kivlen provided a spectacle to watch, with his mastery of riffs and solos. They played unreleased track ‘In Flight’ before throwing it back to ‘Twentytwo’ off previous album Twentytwo in Blue; a strong intro to a set that kept giving.

The middle section of their act heavily featured a mix of both released and unknown tracks off the upcoming album Headful of Sugar, which many might consider a brave move on their first major tour since COVID. It seemed to pay off, however, with the crowd loving the new tracks as well as the older classics like ‘Easier Said’ and ‘I Was a Fool’. Sunflower Bean really encompassed what it means to be rockstars in full, giving everything to every second of their performance which made the show all that more special to watch.

They weren’t afraid to change up their pace either, with songs like ‘Who Put You Up To This?’ being slower and more evocative, as well as ‘Somebody Call a Doctor’ highlighting their technical prowess with funky grooves and incredible soloing skills. Olive Faber’s backing on drums was the hidden puzzle piece that kept the band driving all night, providing the grounding for the dynamic duo front of stage to bounce off. This indicates how tight a group they are, with their energy demonstrating how much fun they have making and playing their music. This is surprisingly hard to come by, in such a clear and abundant manner which this trio show.

Sunflower Bean were very interactive with the crowd, shining their loveable personalities which gave the night a really positive and welcoming feel. They concluded the evening with an encore that was the cherry on top of an amazing show, shredding both bass and guitar backed by Olive keeping the rhythm. It was a cataclysmic finale of exuberant energy.

The New York trio definitely proved that despite the imposed break on musical touring they are still a powerhouse alternative/indie rock band with a promising future. Their unique ability to give live performances so much extra that recorded music can’t offer, makes them all the more impressive to see in person.

SUNFLOWER BEAN: PORTSMOUTH, UK - 10.04.22

PRIMA QUEEN

LIME GARDEN

SUNFLOWER BEAN