IN FOCUS
CONTINUING TO BLOOM WITH SUNFLOWER THIEVES
Here at Come Play With Me we like to offer budding artists the opportunity to have their music heard, produced and released on a vinyl record at a professional level. We pride ourselves on providing a strong, consistent support platform for artists and producers alike – no matter how far along in your musical career you are. We know that producing a record can often be out of budget for up and coming artists. Being a musician doesn’t come cheap – it’s hard work and a hell of a commitment. The cost of making an album and producing physical copies can also be quite daunting if it is coming out of their own pocket, and, without a large label behind them this is usually the case. Which is why we have our panel of judges carefully shortlist a selection of talent sent to us by your submissions and
recommendations. Unfortunately, we can usually only select two artists per single, and, as much as we would love to, we can’t pick everyone that enters. But although it can be disheartening to put your hard work out there to be critiqued and not be selected the first time around, we want to encourage you not to give up. Many of the artists we work with have applied multiple times after taking the time and feedback to refine their track and come back stronger than ever. The Leeds-based dreamy FolkPop duo, Sunflower Thieves, are a prime example of why you should keep pushing on and strive to reach your goals. Sunflower Thieves consist of best pals, Amy and Lily, who grew up together and are heavily influenced by strong female musicians including Lucy 56
Rose, Phoebe Bridgers and The Staves. They focus their music around tight vocal harmonies and ethereal sounds. "We’ve always been encouraged to be creative and musical, having been surrounded by friends and family who were involved in music, and through growing up in a vibrant, supportive artsy community." Says Amy. "We began performing at open mics together back home in Derbyshire to build our confidence before being booked for local events and festivals. When Lily was planning to move to Leeds, we had to decide whether to carry on writing and performing together or to leave it there… as we knew it would be a big commitment whilst we were in different cities. We worked really, really hard at writing and gigging for those two years, and it’s been so rewarding now we’re both in Leeds and writing more than
