Sea Of Bees is all kinds of brilliant. The moniker of stunning singer-songwriter Julie Baenzige, Sea Of Bees usually resides in Sacramento, California, but tonight we were lucky enough to welcome Julie and guitarist friend Amber to Norwich for one of the best gigs I’ve seen all year.
At the beginning of the evening, there was a modest crowd milling about Norwich Arts Centre, and unfortunately for them the local support acts seemed to suffer from a somewhat disinterested and sparse audience. By the time Sea Of Bees graced the stage, however, the room was packed and an excited atmosphere had overcome the place.
Live, Sea Of Bees combines beautiful, honest music with incredible, comedic banter. Stories and anecdotes were littered between the songs, and it’s safe to say that Julie had captured the entire room from her very first words. The performance was delicate, raw and effortless, and each song unique and compelling.
Particular standout tunes included ‘Marmalade’, ‘Sidepain’ and ‘Gnomes’, all of which are taken from current album Songs For The Ravens (buy it here). And yes, in case you wondered, the album is indeed as good as that name suggests.
A truly breathtaking evening from one of the most talented musicians in the independent UK music scene today. Listen and download ‘Wizbot’, also taken from Songs For The Ravens, via SoundCloud below.