SUNFLOWER BEAN // GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART, GLASGOW
Sunflower Bean brought their unique rock sound and out-their style to The Art School in Glasgow; and they certainly made an impression.
PICTURE: STUART WESTWOOD
★★★★☆
After the disastrous fire number two that affected numerous popular, beloved and historic buildings in the city earlier this year; The Art School was forced to close. But the venue triumphantly re-opened in October and it was back to hosting some of the most individual, creative acts one could wish to hear.
These New York City rebels are developing a strong reputation after touring with soft rockers Wolf Alice in 2017. On every track their style varies distinctly making Sunflower Bean a hard band to sum up. They combine surfer rock, playing tracks sounding like they could have come straight off a Mac Demarco album, with an x-ray specks-esque, punky flare. Their quirky, melodic writing style also makes their music wonderfully catchy and keeps them so far from boring.
The night’s support was the beautiful Miya Folick, an American singer with an angelic, rocky sound. Her vocals were stunning and her set sounded brilliant; at least to the audience. Folick seemed to be having issues hearing herself. This caused her to stop throughout a few songs and even left her apologising to the audience and thanking them for their patience at the end when in fact the set was only flawed by her pauses and sounded brilliant when she sung.
Lead vocalist and guitarist, Julie Cumming, is strong figurehead for the band. At The Art School, she danced before the crowd, throwing her bright blonde bob about, wearing a glitter covered, short dress, looking every bit the icon. On stage, she channelled Debbie Harry, Poly Styrene, and every member of The Slits which added to the band’s edgy, powerful impression. Nick Kivlen also looked the part. The whole band did. Kivlen is wearing a bright and eccentric ensemble, dressed in what looked like the get up of a ring master.
Along with the band’s kooky look and confident, fierce attitude, other memorable features of the night included Cumming’s choice to jump down into the crowd and perform right in the thick of it and when keyboardist and mix master, DJ Danny, picked up his large keyboard and held it up on top of his head, playing the keys from underneath. Standout tracks of the evening included the mischievous ‘Come For Me,’ the defiant ‘Tame Impala’ and the catchy, bouncy numbers ‘Twentytwo’ and ‘I Was a Fool.’
Sunflower Bean are definitely a band to follow for anyone with an eclectic taste in music. Their style is modern and they seem effortlessly trendy. They are a group that put in the work when they perform live and seem like they won’t be happy unless they know the crowd has enjoyed themselves.