Music / Reviews
Review: Lime Garden, Rough Trade – ‘Not here to mess around’
Imagine the mid-2000’s indie boom reincarnated in a band only just hitting their stride in 2026: this is Lime Garden.
A Brighton-born band of four, they stride onto the stage with the calm knowledge that this crowd does not need to be won over tonight – they’ve already got everyone’s attention and absolutely for good reason.
A set list jam packed with hits, Lime Garden are the new band on the horizon.
Freshly releasing their second album Maybe Not Tonight, there is no doubt this group is fully fledged and ready to take the charts.
They formed in 2017, blurring lines of disco, pop, surf, post-punk, shoegaze and classic indie in a self described ‘wonk-pop’ style which bursts at the seams with energy and power, masterfully blending into a coherent and punchy sound.
They embody a new wave of bands surging to fame, hinting at the Last Dinner Party’s howling vocality, Wet Leg’s effortless sexuality, Bloc Party’s crisp baselines and Charlie XCX’s fun, modern lyricism.
Every second of this gig felt like a new inspiration, a melting pot of indie history past and present. Although not experimental in the ways of the Cure or Radiohead in their prime, this isn’t what the band is aiming for, their roots rather fusing a stable and endearing sound which ripples of that classic indie sound.
The band have recently released their second album
Despite a tinge of disappointment that Rough Trade’s renovation did not include a larger (or better air conditioned!) events space, the room filled with a crowd eager and word-perfect on the new tracks released only days prior.
Fans in the pit weren’t rowdy or self-conscious, more so openly kind and communal in the space to dance, sing and watch with wide eyes.
Lime Garden emerged from the audience, so cool and unassuming even I believed they were simply a group trying to find their friends before the set began until they jumped onstage to reveal themselves as the group idolised by Radio 6 Music, Paramore, IDLES and Yard Act.
Everything down to the Adidas zip-up donned by lead singer Chloe Howard and the nonchalance of guitarist Leila Deeley’s demeanour, they were down to earth and casual in performance, perhaps in part due to the short one hour set and signing to follow.
Yet when the speakers burst open with the oozing Radiohead-esque chords of Body, Lime Garden showed they weren’t here to mess around.
Lime Garden: “Effortlessly cool”
Crisp bass and drum lines drive forth a sound comparable to the Strokes and LCD Soundsystem which balance well with Howard’s bold lyricism on themes of body image, youth and romance.
Mostly playing tracks off their newest album, a highlight is a rendition of New Order’s Age of Consent, refreshing and completely in tune to their grounded style of dance-alt-pop.
A band absolutely rich with talent, knowledge and self-certainty, Lime Garden dismantle and re-evaluate the current music scene in a way which pushes boundaries in the craftsmanship of their sound.
All images: Poppy Beresford
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
