Review: Sunflower Bean, Thekla

There’s a youthful, DIY camaraderie between the bands that shook the stage tonight. On the back of their sophomore album, Sunflower Bean are the youthful proof of hard work and unwavering resilience, while Sorry are at the base of their climb to the top.

Sorry take to the stage with little fanfare, muttering out a quiet hello before taking off into a cloud of grungy and abrasive melodies. Despite the reserved showmanship, the sounds they produce are top notch. Singer / guitarist Asha Lorenz spits out throaty vocals littered with vocal cracks, while raw and distorted riffs scream from the background.

Stopping only to introduce each song, it’s clear the band don’t really care what you think of them, which can only be to their benefit, their songs moving from romantic to warped as though refusing to be corralled. The band close on, Lies, one of the three singles they’ve released so far and its emotive and sludgy leaving me eager to hear more.

Sunflower Bean command their audience with a touch more theatre, loudly declaring, “let’s play some rock music” as they walk out in unison. Latest album Twentytwo In Blue showcases a fair amount of maturing from their debut and, unsurprisingly from the title, details how it feels to be 22. While debut, Human Ceremony featured dreamy guitars, psychedelia and elements of frantic excitement their sophomore is more reserved and indicative of how comfortable this young band have become over the last few years.

They begin with new album lead, Burn It before taking it back to 2016’s Come On and the sold out boat is entirely entranced. Julia Cummings vocals adopt a totally different dynamic to them when heard live and it’s successful in turning some of the more reserved tracks into rowdy moments, shouting as much as she sings.

There’s a sort of quiet confidence on show and while the setlist is almost entirely focused on the new it cherry-picks highlights from the debut, which raise the energy instantly. Hundreds of live shows and support slots for bands like the Pixies have undoubtedly lent them some poise, evident through the sprawling guitar solo that dominates the second half of Puppet Strings and an elegant cover of Neil Young’s Harvest Moon. The band keep their cool throughout technical difficulties, stopping early into Easier Said to sort out tuning issues with Cummings noting “we’ve travelled too far to play to you out of tune” taking the opportunity to ask for band recommendations from a crowd who respond with “Shame.”

They close with debut’s I Was Home as Cummings leaps of the stage to play the second half in a ravenous crowd. Their new album shone tonight and if this is how they look at 22 it’s hard to imagine anything but an increasingly bright future.