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8 bands that could win the Chelsea Flower Show (and 1 that definitely wouldn’t)
We think these floral bands would create some spectacular gardens
The world’s most prestigious flower show returns this spring for a week of the best blooms, lushest greens and most creative gardens that London has to offer. Running from 24–28 May in the grounds of Royal Hospital Chelsea, this year’s theme is wild and natural spaces, so you can expect to see plenty of wildlife-friendly designs.
This is the horticultural event of the year and entry into the contest is certainly not for the faint of heart. We’ve found eight floral-themed bands that we think would put together fantastic flowerbeds to impress the Chelsea Flower Show judges – and one that might not quite have what it takes.
Blossoms
The British indie pop band have built on the foundations of great Manchester groups such as Oasis or Stone Roses (more on them later), so they’d approach the historic event with respect and wish to pay homage to great gardens past. Their contribution would be a neatly structured display of earnest English wildflowers, with the occasional ‘Blown Rose’ poking out through the ‘Deep Grass’.
Get tickets for Blossoms here.
Sunflower Bean
Julia Cumming, Nick Kivlen and Olive Faber have long made music that sits in-between established genres and sounds like it should be played at night. The American rockers would give us a colourful, psychedelic display of flowers with sunflowers (of course) front and center and night-blooming jasmine scattered throughout.
The Stone Roses
Think a rose garden, but make it grungy. Slightly battered statues and unkempt plots are just part of the aesthetic here. And don’t worry – the Manchester band and pioneers of the ‘Madchester’ movement have left plenty of room for dancing through the flowerbeds. That’s not what happens at the Chelsea Flower Show, you say? It is now.
The Orchids
Glasgow’s melodic indie pop band know to take a theme and run with it. Tracks from the Orchids have borrowed from rock, electronica, dance and country, but despite these twists they’ve never been known to stray too far from their roots (so to speak). Their flowerbed would be filled entirely with their namesake flower – all different shades of pink, yellow, red and purple, but all orchids nonetheless.
The Wallflowers
Not to be confused with the Wallflowers UK, the American roots rock band is built around front man and multi-instrumentalist Jakob Dylan, with other musicians coming and going in the background. Despite their unassuming name, their contribution to the Chelsea Flower Show would be a bold tribute to the classics: roses, peonies, hyacinth, and every other crowd-pleasing favourite.
The Bluebells
Jangly pop band the Bluebells just keep coming back, disbanding multiple times between 1981 and present day. Not only do bluebells fit the theme of their garden for obvious reasons, but they’re perennials, meaning that they too go away and come back time after time.
Hothouse Flowers
The Irish rock group are known for combining traditional Irish music with a plethora of other genres. Cowslips and red clover cover their flowerbeds, growing side by side with exotic hothouse blooms. Horticulturally possible? Absolutely not, but the symbolism is nice.
Guns N’ Roses
The ever-popular Californians have a pretty intense relationship with a plot of land in their track ‘The Garden’, so it’s safe to say that they’d put their hearts and souls into their Chelsea Flower Show entry. Some dark but brilliant artwork would sit amongst roses galore.
Get tickets for Guns N’ Roses here.
Dead Meadow
Whilst the psychedelic rock band have released seven successful albums and acquired a loving fanbase, we’re not sure they’d win over the Chelsea Flower Show judges. There’s plenty of room for creativity in the prestigious contest but a fairly basic requirement is that at least something is growing…
