It’s not hard for something from Mortal Primetime, Sunflower Bean’s new critically acclaimed album, to catch your ear—there’s at least one track any indie music fan is likely to enjoy. If you’re into power chords, shoegaze dissonance, sweet pop melodies, fuzz guitar, cello, or lyrics that rage outward or turn inward, Sunflower Bean has you covered. Whatever your scene, Sunflower Bean is a chameleon within it.
Given the album’s rich production and style-shifting track sequencing, what do you get when you catch them live? Fans of their earlier material—or of their 2024 EP Shake—will be well pleased. There’s little room for subtlety when the band (largely) opts for a full-on rock show, channeling the spirit of familiar ’70s–’90s acts through a power trio format.
The set began with their new song, “Champagne Taste,” all thundering power chords and early Joan Jett swagger. “Lucky Number” and “Teach Me to Be Bad” ramped up the fuzz—especially the latter, which strongly recalls the best of L.A.’s Deap Vally. A mid-set collection of breathers included “I Was a Fool,” with more than a stylistic nod to Fleetwood Mac; “twentytwo,” which evokes Camera Obscura; and “I Knew Love,” one of the prettiest tracks on the new album.
After that, it was a rock show to the end—highlighted by the shoegaze dissonance of “Sunshine,” the phenomenal Heart-but-not-Heart track “Nothing Romantic,” and the closer, “Shake,” a song that could easily sit alongside early Black Sabbath or Canada’s stoner-rock heroes Black Mountain.
If there was a disappointment, they didn’t include “Take Out Your Insides,” one of the strongest songs on their new album.
Nick Kivlen powers each song with purpose, layering flavors when needed or launching into fierce psych/fuzz riffs and solos. But live, it’s Julia Cumming’s show. She has a formidable presence—tough when the songs demand it, emotive when they allow it, and eager to form a palpable connection between band and audience. Sunflower Bean is a band that deserves a bigger stage. Catch them live over the next several weeks to find out why.
Setlist:
Encore:
Unknown! Shake was the intended encore.
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tOpener, Gift, didn’t lay down a gauntlet, per se, for Sunflower Bean, but they caught the attention of all the traffic-delayed arrivals. The Brooklyn based band began essentially during Covid when singer/writer TJ Freda used the isolation to write and record most of what became the band’s first album. Gathering friends or favored musicians to flesh out the band, they found quick success.
The band is now touring “Illuminator,” heavy in textures from psychedelia to shoegaze, with Freda’s dreamy/reverb vocals out in the front, well accompanied by Jessica Gurewitz. There’s a lot going on musically around him, but there’s a certain sameness in the delivery that otherwise would make it difficult to pick a favorite song, particularly in a venue where the vocals where deciphering vocals requires concentration. Still, this was a great introduction that had people talking after their performance.
Setlist:
