'We were never gonna do it': Leeds indie heroes 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.
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 Yorkshire Evening Post 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.”
Stu laughs as he points out the Abbey’s local appeal. “It’s where you walk the dog, you know,” he says. Most of the band still live in Leeds, and Kirkstall Abbey offers a rare combination of history and familiarity.
Released in August 2006, Raise the Alarm featured anthems such as Borders and Commercial Breakdown, propelling the band from local indie stalwarts to major festival stages, including Glastonbury.
Revisiting the songs now is a different experience, Craig explains: "We're able to go back now and look at them and be like, ‘they are, what they are’. Over time, we would almost leave that album alone because you would always want to move on to the next one.
“We ended up at a point of being quite far away musically from where we started. I think now, given the reflection of the 10 years, I think every album has its own space, and you can kind of appreciate where it is.
“And I think the fans love that first record. It's the one that really set us off. So I think it's just worth celebrating. We haven't played some of the songs almost ever."
Stu agrees, reflecting on the nostalgia of revisiting the early material: “It's just fun to look back. It’s like what it's like when you look at a photograph of yourself from 20 years ago.
“When I listen to those songs, it's like listening to a younger version of myself. I hadn't listened to [the album] in five or six years until the other day. And I definitely listened back to the fondness.”
The Sunshine Underground, often known as The Sunnies or simply TSU, rose to prominence as part of the “New Yorkshire” movement, alongside bands like Kaiser Chiefs, The Pigeon Detectives, and The Cribs, which helped put Leeds firmly on the musical map in the 2000s.
“It was a totally different place. Not musically, because Leeds is really rich in musical talent. There are so many young bands that the music scene is still great here,” Craig recalls. “But there's something about that time, 20 years ago. All the clubs were full, and there was such a buzz. There were so many shows, and to be part of that was just a really exciting thing.”
The reunion gig also features fellow 2000s indie acts White Lies, Hard-Fi, The Futureheads, The Twang, and The Whip, many of whom shared festival stages with The Sunshine Underground.
“We played quite a lot with The Twang and The Whips as well. I don’t know if we did with Hard-Fi or The Futureheads, but we were definitely around at the same time. It feels like it works as a lineup that reflects the time,” says Craig.
Stu adds: “We’re friends with some of the bands that are on the lineup. There is gonna be family there, all our friends. It’s just gonna be a nice day. Fast forward to the end of that Saturday, we want 6000 people streaming out of this field with tears of joy rolling down their faces.”
The Sunshine Underground are playing their one-off Raise the Alarm 20th anniversary gig at Kirkstall Abbey on Saturday, July 25, 2026.
- Tickets go on sale at 9am on September 12 via SeeTickets.
- Postcode pre-sale for LS4, LS5, LS13 & LS18 residents is available here from 9am on September 10.