Sunflower Bean's Julia Cumming to Cover Bass Duties for Wolf Alice as Theo Ellis Goes on Paternity Leave

One band's bassist is about to become a dad, and another band's singer has picked up his bass. Julia Cumming of Sunflower Bean has become a temporary member of Wolf Alice this October, joining them as the opening act on Olivia Rodrigo's tour — all because Theo Ellis decided to step away from the stage to be home with his partner, who's about to give birth.

Olivia Rodrigo's "Unraveled Tour," launched in support of her third album *You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love*, is a 65-date run that kicked off late last month with back-to-back shows in Connecticut before moving through Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and North Carolina, with Wolf Alice serving as the opening act throughout. But at most of these shows, it hasn't been Theo Ellis standing in the bassist's spot — it's been Cumming.

She announced the news on social media last week, posting a photo of herself and Wolf Alice frontwoman Ellie Rowsell riding scooters together, writing that she was "so excited" to join the band for the entire month of October. "Theo and his family are going through some major life changes, and I feel so honored to be asked to step in," she wrote.

She later shared another video on Instagram, mentioning that "White Horses" is one of her favorite tracks from Wolf Alice's latest album *The Clearing*, while documenting her process of "getting ready to pick up the bass" for the shows. After the opening night in Charlotte, North Carolina, she posted another clip of herself performing "Play The Greatest Hits" with the band, calling it "quickly becoming one of my favorite moments of the whole show," and tagged Ellis in the caption, praising him as "one of the most fun, most worth watching and listening to bassists in rock." She ended the post with: "My life is so cool."

Wolf Alice's opening slot continues tonight (Monday, October 12) in Chicago, with stops in Boston, Montreal, Toronto, and Columbus to follow.

Tapping Cumming to fill in wasn't a last-minute decision. She's previously collaborated with Wolf Alice on *The Clearing: B Sides*, teaming up for a cover of The Roches' "Hammond Song." That B-sides album also features the piano-driven, delicately atmospheric "Gospel Oak" and the folk-tinged "Hit The Sky," released right after Wolf Alice's massive homecoming show at London's Finsbury Park — where NME was on hand and gave the performance a five-star review, writing: "As they close things out with a ferocious 'Giant Peach,' it's hard not to feel grateful that Wolf Alice have always stuck to their own advice."

*The Clearing* is Wolf Alice's second chart-topping album, marking their fourth consecutive Mercury Prize nomination as a band, plus a BRIT Award win. In a previous interview with NME, Ellis spoke about the album: "Making this record was a challenge, and some parts are tough to pull off live too. But it's that sense of growth — of not just coasting on what we've already done — that makes it exciting. I feel like we're pushing ourselves forward, and there's still more to discover every time we play these songs."

As for Julia Cumming herself, she released her debut solo album *Julia* this past April, previewed by the reflective single "My Life" and the wistfully nostalgic "Please Let Me Remember This."