Sunshine Underground

The Sunshine Underground are starting to create waves with their psychedelic brand of indie-dance. Music News caught up with Leeds based indie rockers (minus bass player, Daley Smith), prior to their performance at The Leeds Carling Festival to find out what all the fuss was about.

Craig Wellington (vocals/guitars)
Stuart Jones (guitar)
Matt Gwilt (Drums)

MN: So you guys played Reading yesterday. How did it go down?

Craig Wellington: It was really good.

Matt Gwilt: It was so good.

Craig Wellington: It's probably the biggest gig we've played to be honest cos there's gotta be at least 2000 in there, maybe 3 but it went down really well, everybody had their hands in the air. Matt took a picture of the audience.

Matt Gwilt: That was quite nice.

Craig Wellington: People were singing the songs. We had a quite good reaction actually. Hand clapping business, you know that sorta thing you get at festivals you don't usually get at gigs, where people are just usually standing around watching you. You get people clapping their hands, usually never in time with the music but just like it's good fun.

Matt Gwilt: I took a picture yesterday on my disposable camera so I'm gona do the same again and compare the 2.

MN: How does it feel to be a part of such a prestigious event?

Craig Wellington: It feels really good actually. We were dead chuffed last year when we got the unsigned stage and to come and play again this year in a tent.

Matt Gwilt: We've been going to festivals for f**king years you know so its just ace to play. It's just a dream init, for everyone to play at a festival if you're in a band you know.

Craig Wellington: This is my 7th time at this festival.

MN: So what's been on your cd player recently?

Craig Wellington: Stevie Wonder, Queens of the Stone Age.

Stuart Jones: I've been listening to a lot of daft punk. Erm, MIA is good, she's good.

Craig Wellington: Tom Yorke's album is quite good. Digitalism, erm Talking Heads…all the usual.

MN: Your sound has been described as a cross between The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays. How does it feel to be compared to such influential bands?

Craig Wellington: Its pretty good. I think they get the down, kinda swagger aspect of our music kinda thing but erm…

Matt Gwilt: It's nice to be compared to bands that had such a good time when they were doing it. You just watch them…

Stuart Jones: …even though you don't sound anything like them.

Matt Gwilt: They were just having a laugh when they were doing it and I think more than the music, that's why we've been compared to them. As they were doing it, it looks as though they were loving it you know.

Craig Wellington: They were all doing it for the right reasons. For Stone Roses, it was their ethic wasn't it, not dressing up for anybody and not really bothering to release whatever they were told to release, which is kinda like, have fun init.

Stuart Jones: It's all about the music. Nothing else.

MN: What's been the worst gig you've played?

Craig Wellington: One that springs to mind was at the Mixing Tin ages ago but that's just because Daley was so pi**ed that he couldn't play the bass…

Matt Gwilt: At least there were people there. We played a gig in Leicester and it was one of the first days of ‘I Ain't Losing Any Sleep' tour and there was no one there.

Craig Wellington: The reason for that was, we were playing at a place called The Music Café and basically on the press and on the posters and everything we put out, said that we were playing at The Music Shop? It was Music something or another. Basically, people turned up at the wrong place and we played to a crowd of about 3 and that was a bit of a nightmare really. Its kinda embarrassing, well, not embarrassing but more disheartening more like cos you're still playing to them 3 people but its like you know…

Stuart Jones: Still get paid for it so you gotta do it.

MN: What has been the highlight of your career so far?

Stuart Jones: Getting an album finished and completed.

Craig Wellington: The album is out on Monday. I think this weekend is quite a sorta like, prestigious weekend for The Sunshine Underground. We've got obviously this gig, last night's gig, an album out on Monday, it sorta wraps up the last few years basically.

MN: So what's next for Sunshine Underground?

Stuart Jones: This gig tonight. The Carling stage at Leeds festival, that's the next thing.

Craig Wellington: Well, the album's coming out in 9 countries so we're going to get to go to all of them. Get to go to Japan, get to go to Germany, France and Australia, Belgium and things like that. We're doing a massive tour that's going be announced soon in the UK as well, and there's more singles, videos, blah blah blah….

Matt Gwilt: So we're busy basically cos when an album comes out, you just gotta sell it, promote it. So next year, we're just playing places and showing it to people.

Their debut album ‘Raise The Alarm' is out now.