Lime Garden Tickets

At some point in all of our lives we’ve felt the anxieties of transitioning into adulthood, growing up, and having to shoulder an entire world of responsibilities and regulations. Rather than sitting up all night each night paralysed by fear of the future, fast-rising newcomers Lime Garden are channelling those growing pains into indie-pop earworms with an extra dose of dry wit. The Brighton-based four-piece aren’t quite as maudlin as growing pains would suggest however, harnessing catchy melodies and freely bopping across various genres that offer up inspiration.

Initially random friends on social media, Chloe Howard and Annabel Whittle found out they’d enrolled at the same local college and struck up a friendship, along with fellow future bandmate Leila Deeley. The three bonded over music, predominantly Talking Heads’ post-punk grooves, Courtney Barnett’s uniquely observational lyricism and anything going on in the UK’s grassroots music scene that would compel them during trips to their hometown venue of The Boileroom in Guildford.

College came to an end and a move to Brighton beckoned for the trio who would convince new flatmate Tippi Morgan to join, and the final piece of Lime Garden fit into place. Soon after they got stuck into the local DIY music scene themselves, building a head of steam that resulted in their punchy lo-fi debut single ‘Surf N Turf’ which they self-released in early 2020. Like most budding bands at the time, all progress was halted by the pandemic and a re-think was required in terms of how they created and communicated. 

Throughout the ups and downs the independent music scene battled through during that period, Lime Garden remained optimistic of a post-pandemic resurgence and released 70s-inspired stomper ‘Fever’ at the tail end of the year. “We released those songs because we wanted to see what people liked, more than anything else,” said singer Chloe. 

People clearly liked what they heard, with the four-piece featuring on numerous hype lists for 2021 and follow-up singles ‘Pulp’ and ‘Sick & Tired’ only fortifying the excitement around the band after So Young Records snapped them up. Hitting the festival circuit once the live music industry opened up saw Lime Garden win fans at the likes of Green Man, Reading & Leeds festivals, Tramlines and Truck, fulfilling the need for feisty and uplifting anthems. 

The band’s tendency to blend genre boundaries put them in good stead, being called up for support slots with a diverse array of artists including IDLES, Sunflower Bean, Yard Act and Katy J Pearson. Opening up a passage of direct communication with their fans via a WhatsApp group also may have influenced their next project. “We were worried nobody would join and now there’s about 80 people in there sharing Bee Gees playlists,” laughed Annabel. But their 2022 single ‘Bitter’ – produced in collaboration with Theo Verney – possesses an undeniably propulsive disco feel and hints at a much more widescreen sound as the band prepared for their 2022 headline tour.