Introducing #0092 - Sunflower Thieves
Let us introduce you to Leeds based folk band Sunflower Thieves, who have just released their brand new single ‘Heavy Weight’. They took a moment to talk to us about the track and the Leeds music scene.
So how did Sunflower Thieves come about?
The two of us were friends all through primary school and have been ever since. We have always been encouraged to be creative and music has been a constant in our lives! We were members of a choir, performed at open mics and local events, until we found our feet and our sound. We grew up listening to all sorts of music, especially folk music, and when we started discovering our own tastes, songwriters such as Lucy Rose, Gabrielle Aplin and Taylor Swift’s shaped the storytelling lyrics we write.
Being close friends allows us to write honestly and emotively with each other, which is a huge part of our identity as a band. We’ve been super lucky to find wonderful bandmates in Leeds to write and perform our music with.
You are based in Leeds, what is the music scene like for a band like yourselves? Do you have a favourite music venue or record store you like to go to in Leeds?
The Leeds music scene is super vibrant and a wonderful thing to be a part of. We both have studied at Leeds College of Music and the creative community in and around that is busy and vibrant. Our favourite venue to play is Oporto, where our upcoming headline show is on November 12th 2019! We have a good working relationship with the promoter, the space is super cool, and they have a vegan junk food kitchen, which we highly recommend!
Having been friends for sixteen years, have you discovered music together? Which bands or artists do you both like?
We often share new discoveries with each other, and share a playlist for songwriting inspiration. We’re hoping to organise more writing trips with other writers over the next year or so, and this will also involve a lot of music sharing! At the moment, the likes of The Staves, First Aid Kit and Phoebe Bridgers are huge inspirations for us. We both enjoy a vast range of genres but our folky/indie lyrical content and vocal styles are definitely influenced particularly by these artists.
Your new single ‘Heavy Weight’ is out now, what is the track about?
Heavy Weight is a stripped back song about the hopelessness of feeling suffocated by social anxiety.
We both have our own experiences in this subject, and the questions asked in the song are a train of thought. Sometimes, when you are feeling anxious, even the people you know best can feel intimidating and unfamiliar. We liked the juxtaposition of lights casting shadows and making you feel unsafe, when light is supposed to make you feel safer, and darkness is usually scary.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories you are happy to share with us?
We recorded the song at home, and Lily produced the track. The guitar part was written by songwriter, Joseph Knight. We actually made a playlist of all of our new songs and potential single releases a few months previously, but wrote this song in the meantime and it has skipped its way to the front of the queue!
Now the single is out there, what next?
We’re planning a few single releases at the moment, and the next will be a fuller sound, and a more upbeat song which has already proved popular at our live shows!
We’re heading out on tour in November, playing in Tynemouth, York, Sheffield, Nottingham, Leeds, London and Coventry. All information and ticket links for these shows can be found on our Facebook/Instagram pages and our website! Some of these will be acoustic shows, and some full band, but ALL will be fun, packed with new music, and with wonderful support acts.