San Francisco – Three is a powerful number. Now, I’m no numerologist, so I can’t explain the scientific or divine properties these mundane and otherwise ordinary entities contain, though I do know that practically everything can be expressed in numbers, in some way. The number three seems to hold a certain degree of influence — in language, in mathematics, in religion, and in music as well. The New York-based musical trio Sunflower Bean expressed such authority, commanding the stage this past Thursday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium — a band of three members, who have found unmitigated success three years after the band’s inception, as the first act of the three bands featured, that breezy summer evening in downtown San Francisco.
Sunflower Bean was conceived in 2013 by friends and band-mates (of the band Turnip King) guitarist Nick Kivlen and drummer Jacob Faber. They then asked friend, bassist, and vocalist Julia Cumming to fill out the band as the third member, and from there they’ve a meteoric rise in popularity, thanks to a couple of EPs: 2014’s Rock & Roll Heathen and 2015’s Show Me Your Seven Secrets, the latter of which garnered much positive attention, thanks to the whirlwind of shows the trio played in the fall of 2014 as part of NYC’s renowned CMJ Music Marathon (kind of like New York’s version of South By Southwest). Earlier this year Sunflower Bean released debut LP Human Ceremony via Fat Possum, and since then, the band has been making the rounds supporting the album. This particular evening served as the final night of the band’s tour opening for powerhouse rock acts Portugal. The Man and headliner Cage the Elephant, and the trio had no trouble filling the vast auditorium with the same caliber (and decibel level) as the two older (and notoriously loud) bands.
At the time Sunflower Bean graced the stage, the monstrous auditorium was already beginning to fill, and though perhaps some were just there at the very beginning to post up at the front and remain there for the entirety of the evening, you would never have guessed that was the case, as when the three came on at precisely 7 PM, the whole area erupted with a din of excited screaming. The band presented its visual aesthetic by way of fashion: Cumming wearing a glittery silver dress, matched with black heeled boots and a platinum pixie cut, while the guys paid homage to ‘70s rock: Kivlen striding on with silver and black splattered bellbottoms and a curly mop-top, while Faber positioned himself behind the drums, his long brown hair falling on the shoulders of his black Led Zeppelin t-shirt. The band said a brief “hello” before sliding into the opening (and title) track to its debut LP, “Human Ceremony.”
The band’s set was expectedly short (Sunflower Bean was the first of three bands after all), clocking in at just about a half an hour, but there was little-to-no dead air experienced while watching them. The only time the band stopped during the seven-song set was at the very beginning of the blazing LP single “Wall Watcher,” cutting it off after a few short bars, as apparently someone near the front either got sick or got injured, as all I could hear after the pause was Cumming say, “Are you okay? Be safe, you guys” (I had moved out of the photo pit by that point so I couldn’t see exactly what had transpired). After the slight pause, the band went right back into “Wall Watcher,” and the carpet of bouncing head silhouettes resumed.
It’s difficult to say which were the highlights of the set because one, the set was so short, and two, the whole set was great. I had been meaning to see Sunflower Bean for quite some time, unfortunately missing the band’s opening set for DIIV last fall, as well Sunflower Bean’s show at this year’s Bonnaroo (though I’m planning on catching some of the band’s Lollapalooza set for sure, so stay tuned), and I was completely blown away by the trio’s energy and the members’ synchronicity with each other. Sunflower Bean is one of those bands that makes playing in a band look so goddamned easy. I will have to say my favorite of the evening was “Wall Watcher,” though I did enjoy the pendulous “Come On” and set closer “I Was Home” as a tie for close second, plus the more gentle and melodic “Easier Said” is always a pleasure to hear. I was surprised to hear some numbers from the Show Me Your Seven Secrets EP: the jammy “Somebody Needs A Doctor” and especially the slow-burning “Tame Impala,” which the band has said is a sort of tip-of- the-hat to the popular Australian psych-outfit, but isn’t necessarily about Tame Impala (much like the Tame Impala song “Led Zeppelin”).
Sunflower Bean has found a powerful trinity as a rock outfit, as the three members have found great power in three years, over three releases, amongst three incredibly talented members. As the three continue touring, this force will undoubtedly only become stronger, so we look forward to Sunflower Bean’s continued progress and success in the years to come.
Sunflower Bean will be taking a month-long break before heading out on a three-month world tour from July to October, which goes through the United States, Europe, and Japan. The band’s debut LP Human Ceremony is now available via Fat Possum. For more information visit the Sunflower Bean Facebook page.
Photography by Corey Bell for Best New Bands. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Corey Bell
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