Spreading A Little Sunshine

By Joe Kavanagh

There are many that would argue that the world of music has not thrown up a truly new genre since the emergence of rap in the late-70s, and many would argue that even rap is only a sub-genre at best. This has not prevented music journalists from doing everything within their literary powers to attempt to create new musical genres purely with the strength of their penmanship and desire. Perhaps no country is quite so adept at this pursuit than the UK, as over the years we have seen Britpop, trip-hop, grime and garage arrive with a large degree of fanfare, before falling out of the headlines and eventually by the wayside. The latest genre-du-jour being proffered by the British music press is 'Indie-Rave', which really does not appear to be all that different from the Baggie scene that emerged from Manchester in the early-90s. The circus arrives in town this weekend in all its splendid pomp when NME's Indie Rave Tour hits Dublin and although the journalists may be trying to put fresh wrapping over old goods, it would be remiss to say that the bands at the head of this new wave are not dynamic and exciting. In fact, all of them are virtually destined to be the biggest names in European Indie music this year, including the latest act to emerge from Leeds as a member of the 'New Yorkshire' scene (another snappy label!): Sunshine Underground.

It is perhaps fitting that the UK music media are vaunting this exciting new band as one of the leaders of Indie music's latest evolutionary path given that they come from Shrewsbury, best known as the birthplace of Charles Darwin. The four members met while at college in the southwestern English town, having all played in separate bands over the course of their teen years. With their taste in music ranging from drum 'n' bass to reggae to classic rock, they decided early on that they would not put any restraints on what style they would follow except to make the type of music that would make them want to get up off their seats. Taking their name from a track by the Chemical Brothers, they decided that their own songs would include elements of dance and rock music but would not follow in the paths of the glut of bands clogging up the scene with 12-minute long psychedelic jams, or as guitarist Craig Wellington puts it: 'You've got to have good songs. You can't just play a nice rhythm for ages. It gets boring.' Their sound immediately caught the attention of Shrewsbury's Indie kids and the band realized that they needed a tougher barometer for their talent so upon finishing their courses, drummer Mathew Gwilt, was accepted into Leeds University in 2002 and the three other members decided to follow him order to test themselves in a bigger scene.

The fact is that the crowds would not be showing up and the media would not be talking about them unless their tunes were any good and the band proved their mettle by winning the BBC's Fresh Meat 2005, a national battle of the bands, which led to them securing a recording contract with City Rockers, a label previously known more for its work with deejays and dance music artists.

In 2006 they exploded onto the national scene with the superb single, I 'Aint Losing Any Sleep, and following it up with the equally enthralling: Put You In Your Place. Their aptly named debut album, Raise The Alarm, hit shelves in the UK and Germany and has been grabbing accolades and acolytes ever since. Produced by some of the biggest names behind the scenes in dance and rock music, the album is a compelling hybrid of dance, post-punk and power that couples superbly infectious melodies with articulate and challenging lyrics. Due to the constraints typical with being on a small label, the album has not been the recipient of the usual pageantry and hype that accompanies a release by such a convincing new act, but instead has grown at natural pace largely by word of mouth. This state of affairs sits kindly with the four members, who genuinely find the prospect of fame nothing short of appalling.

It may be a prospect they will be forced to contend with, given the recent news that SU just inked a worldwide deal with Sony/BMG, which will allow them to release the album in the US, Japan and Australia within the next couple of months. The band has already begun writing the material for their next album but with a new single due out next month, the album's worldwide release slated for a short time later and their biggest European tour to date due to kick off right after they finish their current stint with NME; it appears that their debut still has some mileage left in it.