LIME GARDEN
CAFE DU NORD
OCTOBER 30, 2026
Photos by Geoffrey Smith II
When it comes to attending concerts, there is a trap that is easy to fall into: over-preparation, whether born from anticipation or anxiousness. In the months leading up to a show, you listen to an artist’s discography on repeat, peruse recent concert videos, inspect photos, and analyze their setlists. You wonder what they will play, what a performance is actually like on a physical level, and how the members and the show might be affected by weather, current events, or their placement in a tour schedule. You can burn yourself out on the idea of the show before the date even arrives, especially with newer artists who have limited catalogs and thoroughly documented online histories created in an era where social media is ubiquitous. Aside from emergencies and illness, concert anticipation fatigue might very well be a leading cause of show absenteeism.
Lime Garden’s second full-length album, Maybe Not Tonight, spent six heavy-rotation months in my car leading up to this show. I am still not sure what their self-described “Wonk Pop” genre encompasses, but I know that I like it. To my ears, the latest album feels like a mix of Garbage, The Bravery, and Alice Deejay, especially my favorite track, “Body,” which pairs moody synths and danceable beats with vulnerable, self-deprecating lyrics touching on the trials of unreciprocated romantic interest. While they are not treading new territory thematically, it comes across quite honest.
Discovering the band through their second album, I worked my way back through their catalog, across the previous LP and smattering of singles. Their 2024 debut album, One More Thing, feels less rambunctious and aggressive, and underproduced compared to the new material, which features at least three tracks I never skip: “Body,” “23,” and the title track “Maybe Not Tonight.” The massive strides between their first and second albums make me feel incredibly optimistic for their future.
Catching Lime Garden at Cafe Du Nord for just the second date of their current U.S. tour offered an intimate look at the Brighton quartet: vocalist and guitarist Chloe Howard, guitarist Leila Deeley, bassist Tippi Morgan, and drummer Annabel Whittle. Without a formal costume the night before Halloween, Howard wore an off-the-shelf t-shirt she had picked up in San Francisco, reading “Julian Casablancas’ Conspicuously Young GF.” Cowboy-ish boots, leopard print tights, and a skirt completed this look. It was a grunge and punk aesthetic shared by the whole band that kept them from looking fabricated or “Hot Topic.”
Stage left, Morgan maintained a very low-key, shoegaze affectation, frequently looking down, though many of her pedal settings were static rather than the heavily manipulated experiments of Lush or My Bloody Valentine. Stage right, guitarist Deeley seemed somewhat shy, though this might have been related to difficulties with broken guitar strings. Drummer Whittle was the second most extroverted member next to Howard, positioned behind a kit with cymbals way above her toms. Her broad playing style allowed for clear views of her technique, frequent smiling, and occasional playful tongue protrusions.
What stood out visually was how expressive all of the band members were with their faces and bodies, while still having their own recognizable playing styles and identity within the band.
Their set kicked off strong with “Body,” operating alongside backing tracks for the electronic and production elements. Early in the set, a broken string forced the guitarist to exit the stage to restring her instrument, cutting a track short. While the broken guitar lay off to the side like a wounded soldier, Howard handled the performance gap with stage banter and invited a friend wearing a Lime Garden shirt on stage to share interesting San Francisco facts. Throughout the rest of the set, Howard swapped between lead vocals, guitar, and tambourine, occasionally joining the bassist or guitarist during extended instrumental jams.
The performance moved briskly, with new material limited to the first two-thirds of the set before concluding right at 10:04 PM without any kind of encore break. The final track featured Howard on tambourine and the memorable live emulation of the vocoded voice effects heard on “23.” The hour-long set flew by so fast that it felt like several songs remained, even though they had covered most of their catalog as well as some unreleased tracks.
Ultimately, Lime Garden delivered everything I expected from the performance. They were as good live as I anticipated, they played all the songs I wanted to hear from their limited catalog, the venue was intimate, the sound and acoustics were solid, the lighting was good, and the band’s demeanor and overall energy were completely on point. There are no significant complaints to leverage against the show. And yet, leaving the venue, I was struck by a feeling that the complete lack of surprises, or their failure to exceed what I had already mapped out in my head, left me feeling slightly underwhelmed. Seeing them on a bigger stage in the future would undoubtedly be sonically more intense, and it will be interesting to see how their aesthetics, sound, and attitude develop over their next few tour cycles. Catch them live if you’re able. Just don’t treat it like studying for an exam.
Link:
Remaining Tour Dates:
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20th November – Porto, Portugal (M.Ou.Co Restaurante & Bar)
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21st November – Lisboa, Portugal (LAV – Lisboa Ao Vivo)
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31st March 2027 – Boise, ID, United States (Treefort Music Fest 2027)
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27th May 2027 – Walton-on-trent, United Kingdom (Catton Hall & Park)
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30th May 2027 – Melbourne, United Kingdom (Catton Hall)
