How old are the members of Sunflower Bean? “TwentyTwo in Blue” came out pretty recently, right? The pandemic and subsequent lockdown have caused us to lose two years so, yes, they’re TWENTY SIX now!! After being somewhat radio silent since the “King of the Dudes” EP was released in January 2019, we finally have a brand new single “Roll the Dice” that was just released today and new studio album “Headful of Sugar” due out on May 6th! It’s so good to have Sunflower Bean back and on tour! I stopped by a packed Club Cafe in Pittsburgh to catch their set on Sunday and it’s probably the smallest stage I’ve seen them on in years (except for the Dr Martens store event).
Opening the show was fellow NYC electro-pop artist Barrie (aka Barrie Lindsay). With a keyboardist/backup singer and two dancers/backup singers all dressed in neon colors, they were quite a lot of fun and a great way to start the evening. Barrie has a record “Barbara” coming out on March 25th, something she had written while during the lockdown while quarantining and falling in love with her now wife Gabby Smith and trying to spend time with family while her father was dying. But there was little sadness to her music and performance, only joy.
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As soon as the first note was hit on Sunflower Bean’s “Baby Don’t Cry” (released back in October 2021), you could tell there was a change in their sound. The setlist was comprised of mostly songs from the new record with older standards “Twentytwo”, “I Was a Fool”, “Easier Said”, and “Wall Watcher” in the mix. The new songs were heavier on guitar and guitar solos as well as including more vocals from guitarist Nick Kivlen. I really enjoyed the guitar solos and think they could easily have cranked up the amp for those. Felt like we should all be headbanging the crap out of the place! Interestingly, I was hearing influences from 70s and psychedelic rock but it was definitely nice to see the band continue to evolve and experiment as they hit their stride and are no longer twenty two. Their new record “Headful of Sugar” drops on May 6th. You can pre-order now at their online store here.
Having only seen them many times but only in NYC, one thing I did notice was the lack of energy in the crowd. Where were all the sing-alongs and the moshing? Has that always just been a New York thing? I may have to drive down when Sunflower Bean plays Webster Hall in May.
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