Sunshine Underground return for Raise the Alarm 20th anniversary

"To be honest, we were never gonna do it," admits guitarist and singer Craig Wellington. Yet ten years after they last shared a stage, Leeds indie favourites the Sunshine Underground are reuniting - for one night only.

- by Dennis Morton

The band, who split after releasing their fourth album Luminescent in 2016, spent the past decade pursuing separate projects. But next summer, Craig, Stu Jones, and Matthew Gwilt - along with original member Daley Smith, who left in 2011-will perform at Kirkstall Abbey to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut album Raise the Alarm.

Outside the Abbey on a rainy day, guitarist Stu and singer and guitarist Craig speak to the YEP about the band's split and its upcoming reunion. "We left it in a really nice place when we finished," Stu says. "We finished on an album, finished on a tour, and went out on a high note while still good friends."

Craig adds: "Over the last 10 years, there have been a few times that promoters have reached out and asked us to [reunite]. But it has been 20 years since the first album and 10 years since our last.

"You're not gonna get that opportunity again. We were thinking, if we did do it, what venue would we use? We've played everything from the tiny venues up to the big ones in Leeds. So this idea (Kirkstall Abbey) was pretty unique, pretty one-off."