Photo by Luis Nieto Dickens, courtesy of Elsewhere.
I’m not sure what I expected from the Sunflower Bean show, but it wasn’t a roaring pit of teens with sweat pooling down their faces. Recordings of the band have often been discredit as “dreamy” and shoegaze-esque, but live the trio has a hardness and muscle that doesn’t come across on record. A 2016 profile I read urged that “Sunflower Bean make rock n’ roll.” At the time I thought it was just an easy story angle, but at Elsewhere that skepticism was torn to shreds. On record bassist and rock n roll angel Julia Cummings’s voice is a gentle coo, but live it breaks into a full-throated roar. The guitarist was stylishly riffing on top of songs, dropping in added moments without overpowering the song as a whole.
The band’s musical prowess was only matched by their comfort and command of the stage. “Some of y’all should stage dive or something” Cummings casually mentions. The crowd promptly obliges. They went wild for “Cmon” and absolutely BONKERS for “2013” screaming the call and response verses back. One rolling 20 something came up and started rubbing his face on my backpack. The rowdiest of the group were extras from the band’s video “I Was a Fool.” When a friend jokingly suggested that they had been paid to be there, I laughed while thinking it would explain their behavior. The crowd was def more subdued for Sunflower Bean’s newer songs, but in three years I expect the teens will just be as pumped as ever.
This unhinged atmosphere, and the bands mirrored jumpsuits may have referenced Big Rock Concert, but Elsewhere’s setup pushed it over the edge. With the diamond glass behind them changing color, spotlights whisking their way over the crowd, and expert timing in lighting the disco ball made the whole show feel like a period piece. It was a pitch perfect headlining set, and really solidified my love for the band. The next time someone says Sunflower Bean is a band because of the novelty of their age, or are coasting off of the attention of Cumming’s modeling career, I’ll have this set in my memory to counter them. Go see Sunflower Bean live.
