In Conversation With Sunflower Thieves

Rooted in sisterhood, childhood friends Amy Illingworth and Lily Sturt-Bolshaw found their feet in Leeds' musical hotpot to form Sunflower Thieves. Gathering plaudits from BBC Radio 1, 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Radio X, Clash, The Line Of Best Fit, and more along the way, they released their debut EP Someone To Be There For. Off the back of this, the duo toured the UK extensively alongside the likes of Tors, Hayley Blais, Flyte, Say She She, Hannah Grace, and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly & more. We caught up with them to learn more about their upcoming new EP.

Hi, how are you both?

Lily: Hello! Great thanks! Pretty tired but happy post-Deershed festival.

For those not yet in the know, tell us a little about yourself.

Amy: If you’re new here, hi! We are childhood friends, Amy + Lily, an alt-indie band originally from Derbyshire, now based in Leeds. We are releasing our second EP, Same Blood, this October! We’ve been friends since we were five, and we love writing songs.

Your latest single is How Was America? How would you describe it in one sentence?

Lily: How Was America? tells the story of a big mess of miscommunication and frustration at being ghosted by a good friend.

How did you decide it would be a teaser for the upcoming EP?

Amy: We wrote this one a couple of years ago, and it felt like a new version of our songwriting personality. After releasing our first EP, Someone To Be There For’, it was the first song we wrote that really got us excited about where we could take the project next. It feels a little different to what we’ve done before—more guitar-y, grittier, and with a bit more anger behind it.

Is it typical of what should be expected from the EP?

Lily: Yes, we are aiming for big feelings, a little more energy, and a bigger sound! All of these songs came from different sessions at different times, but overall, I think the lyrics are more direct than we’ve been before.

Amy: Each song depicts a vulnerable moment or overwhelming concept—friendship, new love, driving lessons (!!), death. But all of these things can also provoke certainty and feeling powerful. Since that first EP, each of us has grown and become more certain of ourselves, letting go of things and/or people along the way, while always being there for each other. I think that’s what makes this record special for us—it’s real and a reflection of us tackling these life things, big and small, together.



Tell us more about Same Blood's writing process.

Amy: Same Blood takes its title from one of the tracks on the EP, which depicts the intricacies of our friendship with each other over the years and how sibling-like our relationship is. We wrote this with our friend Ev (Pet Snake, Clean Cut Kid), and it sort of just fell out—I think this sisterly closeness manifests itself most when we write together. With this song and How Was America, we knew we had the foundation for a bunch of songs we could get really excited about. The other songs came from unexpected places, but we feel they fit together perfectly.

This is the most collaborative we’ve ever been; we began co-writing in early 2020, which resulted in the Someone To Be There For EP, but for this record, we’ve taken that another step further in terms of the songwriters and musicians we’ve worked with, as well as having our good friend, Jack Hardman, on co-prod. Adam Illingworth, who designs all our artworks and posters, has used work from photographer Nick Porter for this record, and the artwork colours and photos have served as inspiration for the videos.

We've also incorporated more of our live band into this record, which feels really nice. These collaborations bring out the best in us and hold it all together, the way a family does—we couldn’t do it without them!

What are your ambitions for the EP?

Amy: In all honesty, it feels very exciting to be releasing again, and we just want as many people as possible to hear these songs. We've already had so much love across 6Music and BBC Introducing, and we're super grateful to everyone who takes the time to listen. Our favourite thing is hearing people’s interpretations and connections to the lyrics. People need songs for different reasons, and it’s fascinating to talk to people at shows or read people’s messages about why they love or relate to a particular song we’ve made. So, we hope people take whatever they need from this record.

Are you planning to travel with the EP?

Lily: Yes, we are! In September this year we will be in Liverpool (4th), Nottingham (5th), Brighton [9th], London (10th), and ending in Leeds (12th) at the Brudenell Social Club. We're taking our good friend and incredible songwriter, Marnie Glum, on tour support, and she and her brilliant band will be co-headlining in Leeds with us! Tickets for all of these shows are now available here!

How does the live experience differ from the record?

Lily: We have made every effort to replicate the record as accurately as possible for the live performance; however, since we don't use tracks, we can't bring everything with us! We like to hold onto the live set, and our band is made up of absolutely wonderful musicians (and human beings) so we know it will be a great show!

Amy: It's great to be able to bring in our band's vocals and include four-part harmonies in the live set, with different tones and layers than what you hear recorded. Live is such a fundamental part of the Sunflower Thieves project—we love gigging—and it’s just the best kind of energy when you get to do this with your friends.

What are your plans outside of the EP for 2024?

Amy: We’ll be bringing new merchandise on the road with us, which we’re super excited about [all to be revealed very soon!]. and we have a couple more tunes ready to go post-EP, which we’d love to share this year. We also always do something special to end the year—in the past this has been our Sirens (Live at Mill Hill Chapel) session or a special Sunflower Thieves & Friends show, so we’ll likely figure out a nice way to celebrate this year too. It feels like a really exciting time for the project, so who knows what’s to come!