And Suddenly, there they were. Sarah and the Sundays, on a Sunday.
Liam Yorgensen of Sarah and the Sundays at Brick and Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco: Photo by Garnette Ransone Photography
On Sunday April 27th, Sarah and the Sundays played a headlining set to a packed house at San Francisco’s Brick and Mortar Music Hall. The Austin-based five-piece was joined by Beeson, a Singer-Songwriter who left her college town in Utah to move to Los Angeles and pursue her dreams of becoming a full time artist. Beeson opened the show with a six song set, featuring songs from her 2023 EP, “Last Shot” and the soon to be released deluxe version of her EP, “Ritual.”
Introducing Beeson
Beeson at Brick and Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco: Photo by Garnette Ransone Photography
Beeson kept things casual, chatting with the audience between songs, and instructing fans to introduce themselves to the people around them while she tuned her guitar. Seeing her performance was like having a conversation with a new friend. She talked about moving from Arizona, to Utah, to Los Angeles; explained the meaning behind all of the songs she played; and shared the story of how she met her now roommate on a beach when she first moved to Los Angeles and was looking to meet new friends.
Beeson closed out her set with “Best Case Girl,” a song she said was inspired by leaving her crush behind when she moved from Utah to Los Angeles to follow her dreams. Beeson’s “Ritual EP (Deluxe)” comes out May 2nd.
Sarah and the Sundays take the stage
Sarah and the Sundays at Brick and Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco: Photos by Garnette Ransone Photography
After Beeson, it was time for Sarah and the Sundays to take the stage. Made up of five friends – Liam (vocals/guitar), Miles (Guitar/Keys), Quinn (Drums), Brendan (guitar), and Declan (bass guitar), the band started as a high school project, but the project became so much more than that when the group chose to drop out of college to pursue music full time. The band’s experimentation with their sound was clear throughout the set, as no two songs felt exactly the same. With strong vocals, three guitars, multiple keyboards, and a powerful rhythm section, the performance was bold and exciting.
Sarah and the Sundays at Brick and Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco: Photos by Garnette Ransone Photography
The band started their set with “Casanova,” a song from their recently released third album, “Like a Damn Dog.” The band had a long setlist, with twenty songs and a two-song encore. Fans knew every word, singing lyrics back to the band and dancing like there was no tomorrow. The lengthy setlist took fans on a journey, with lead singer Liam Yorgensen letting fans know when the set was about to slow down and delve into some sadder material, like a song he wrote about his old dog. Then Sarah and the Sundays would effortlessly pick it back up, moving back into the upbeat rock that would get fans dancing again to shake off the hard hitting lyrics.
Photo by Garnette Ransone Photography
Around the middle of the set, Yorgensen took a moment while introducing the song “Policy” to state the band’s opposition to the current administration and the policies they are enacting that are harmful to marginalized groups. Yorgensen stated the band’s support for a free Palestine to an audience that responded with cheers and applause. While the song hints at a feeling of pointlessness in trying times, with lyrics like “And it feels like there’s no point in asking for help” and “It feels like I’m not even spinning my wheels/ So why even try to keep my end of the deal?,” Yorgensen told the audience that it is important to remain hopeful in the face of despair.
“Vices”
After the classic “end of the show that is not really the end of the show,” the band came back to play two of their most popular songs, “Vices” and “The Cue.” At the end of the night, fans crowded the edge of the stage, hoping to get autographs from the band. They happily obliged, chatting with fans and signing t-shirts until security started ushering people out of the venue.
Liam Yorgensen of Sarah and the Sundays at Brick and Mortar Music Hall in San Francisco: Photo by Garnette Ransone Photography
See Sarah and the sundays
Sarah and the Sundays will be on tour through July, and tickets can be found on their website.
