NYC indie-psych trio Sunflower Bean kicked off 2025 with momentum, touring massive venues in the UK and Europe as the opening act for Cage the Elephant before heading back to the States to once again tear up SXSW. And they’re just getting started—at the end of the month, they’ll be unleashing their fourth LP, the power-pop opus Mortal Primetime, which will see the band return to the road a few weeks after that project’s April 25 release for a month-long headlining tour of North America with their peers (and fellow tour diarists) GIFT.
As the excitement continues to mount for both the new music and the set of dates in which they’ll be showcasing it, Sunflower Bean provided us access to their camera roll from their February show in Paris, the last night of their tour with Cage the Elephant. Featuring scenes from their day traversing the city, backstage shots of frontperson Julia Cumming getting into the right headspace by posing around the venue (also: plenty of naps), and live shots snapped by photographer Meka Boyle, check out a recap of their eventful day below.
You can pre-order Mortal Primetime here, and claim tickets for their upcoming tour here.
Waking up in Paris at our Airbnb, getting ready for the long day ahead. My mom bought this suit for me in a church basement for $10 the week before tour. I wore it almost every single day.
The baked goods at the boulangeries in Paris were so delicious. They also have special laws about keeping baked goods affordable. In France, good bread and jam are human rights.
En route to try and fit in as many activities as possible pre-show! We arrived in Paris the night before, which is such a luxury because you can actually wake up early and explore the city you’re about to play.
Our manager has been wanting to go to this book/record store that has a café, so we figured we’d get a coffee and listen to some music. They have rare records and books and I think they might have been playing PiL when we walked in. It was so up our alley. You can see us and our friend TJ from GIFT coming out of the store super enthused.
We visited Jim Morrison’s grave. I actually think at this point The Doors are an underrated band. Such a unique, strange, and wild blend of influence, while at the same time pretty much inventing goth as a genre. Also, just heard that this grave might be a psyop and Jim is actually alive in upstate New York. I hope we weren’t duped.
Lunch break! We grabbed some sandwiches and started making our way to the venue. Nothing compares to French bread. We’re doing it all wrong in the States.
Saw these pigeons outside the patisserie. They reminded us of ourselves. We’re gonna start using this image as a reference for our stage plot.
Passed the Place de la Bastille on our way to the venue. We were staying nearby!
Now at the venue, getting everything set up on stage. Olive about to lock in for soundcheck.
Fender forever! Setting up is a sacred and exciting time where you can imagine what’s going to happen in just a few hours. It feels impossible that you’ll be back again later with all those people, but all of a sudden there you are, doing your damn thing!
This was the first time we got to see the Mortal Primetime vinyl in person! Always so surreal physically holding the record you made.
In this greenroom we had the luxury of a full lying down nap position. There are many moves and positions while trying to get comfortable for a nap backstage, this is the preferred but rare method.
The fact all three of us fit in a nap is a rare occurrence. But we’d been out and about exploring, so we had to power up for the show.
The fact all three of us fit in a nap is a rare occurrence. But we’d been out and about exploring, so we had to power up for the show.
Moments like these on stage where we come together and do our thing for thousands of people make everything worth it. All the travel, logistics, and crew members all add up to this one special moment.
When the lights came on you could really appreciate how magnificent this last venue was.
Don’t forget to bend your knees when lifting or playing heavy.
Side stage right before playing is always a charming time. There’s a lot of anticipation in the room and usually a very unmoved and kind stage manager making everything run smoothly. You end up having a lot of cute small talk with the crew in these moments. It’s just another day at the office for them.
All our friends in the greenroom afterward. Everyone in this photo was yelling at me [Nick] while I was taking this photo, afraid it was from an unflattering angle. When it developed they ended up loving it. Phew!
White light engulfs the stage. The lights for this show felt so cinematic and dramatic, I was grateful to the lighting engineer for understanding the assignment.
Posing on the Barcelona bench. I was deeply obsessed with these boots the entire tour. They made me as tall as a tree and quite intimidating, which is something I like.
The dining room backstage had a gorgeous, enormous chandelier. Only in Paris could a chandelier like this make sense and not feel obscene!
Taking pictures before the set is always preferred because (a) You’re not as sweaty and (b) it gets you in the mood for a performance. We couldn’t get enough of this venue. I love how the whiteness of my shirt matches the brightness of the chandelier.
Getting ready to hit the stage—these are the last moments and you wanna make sure your face is on right, even though it’s bound to melt off.
It’s really thrilling to be able to perform on such a large stage. This is one of those photos that makes you feel so happy you were able to capture it, because while you’re playing it’s impossible to feel the magnitude of all those people.
Love the spotlight casting down in this one. These cinematic lights made us feel like we were in a movie.
You can see Julia is away from the mic, so that means the guitar must be singing.
Crista’s dad Mark created these beautiful vinyl stickers for Olive’s drum kit. Thanks Mark!
I’ll never forget this night—it was a truly special way to wrap up an amazing tour with two amazing bands like Girl Tones and Cage the Elephant.
My hair is my protection on stage. I love throwing it around like it’s an animal, an extension of my spirit on stage.
Meka is so great at capturing movement and the feeling of our performances—it’s not a show without her!
This is one of my favorite ways to end a set. It makes me feel really powerful.
