One of the standout acts at the year’s Great Escape new music festival in Brighton last month were Los Angeles trio Sunday (1994) who are very much a band on the up! In fact why not read our two reviews on them below:
TGE Beach The Deep End 19:00 – 19:30 – Thursday 15th May:
Sunday (1994) were the very top of my must see bands list prior to the event, now that is saying something considering I played through every single band playing at the festival. Even with all the clashes it was a hard choice for me; which set to try and catch and who I was going to have to miss. In the end I plumped to take in the band on the biggest stage of all, on the beach.
Upon arrival there seemed to be some technical issues afoot on stage with the set up and you could visibly see a couple of the band members looking rather frustrated that their big moment here was getting wrecked, selfishly I was thinking I’d better not be cheated out of 10 minutes of the set, as that was how long it took for things, thankfully resolve, phew!
The lights went down and the bass player Lola Colette, drummer Puma and guitarist ‘Lee Newell’ took to a darkened stage to the sound of ‘Adagio For Strings’ and then started straight into ‘Blonde’, whilst they did so, the beautiful vocalist Paige Turner slowly and dramatically made her way from the back in a floaty white dress, looking glamorous indeed, her amazing voice matched her look as she took to the microphone.
Next we had ‘Stained Glass Window’ a soaring number, Paige a few times did call to the crowd to “wake the f*ck up”, I’m not sure if this was part of the act or just her frustration with a rather stationary crowd. The rest of the set took in ‘TV Car Chase’ the heavier and super atmospheric ‘Still Blue’, ‘Blossom’ where Paige walked around the stage with a “You Got it Baby” sign, and my favourite ‘Tired Boy’.
Sunday (1994) really did not disappoint, they are incredibly polished. Paige was always on the move, gesturing and pointing to the crowd, putting her hand on her heart, she is visually striking, but her voice is utterly amazing. We cannot dismiss Lee Newell’s guitar work, hyper accomplished. If you like your shoegaze, the type of music you want on whilst coasting along in the summer, you will love them. Needless to say I promptly bought their debut album on CD and LP and played it 6 times in a row when I got home. Happy days.
(by Ben ‘Jerry’ Robinson)
Komedia (Basement) 14:30 – 15:00 – Friday 16th May:
Sunday (1994) are already dividing opinion – over the course of the festival I’ve spoken to people dismissive of their polished sound, tailored to court the major labels, and others totally enamoured with their blend of shoegaze and dream pop.
The trio of Paige Turner (vocals), Lee Newell (guitars) and enigmatic drummer Puma are joined by Lola Colette on bass for their six-song set at the Komedia this afternoon. It doesn’t start well as their first two songs are blighted by feedback, causing Lee to call a swift halt – “we’re really good you know,” he quips as the crew work to fix the problem. Thankfully with the sound gremlins fixed, a second play of ‘Stained Glass Window’ really impresses with its jangly guitars and uplifting chorus.
The band play just one song from their new ‘Devotion’ EP – ‘Still Blue’ has a slightly heavier sound, reminiscent of Wolf Alice and adds a bit more edge to their otherwise honey-dipped melodies. They close with two more tracks from their self-titled debut. ‘Blossom’ sees Paige pacing up and down the stage brandishing a huge placard with ‘Baby You Got This’ written on it, and she then thanks the audience as they finish with ‘Tired Boy,’ their first single without which there would be no band.
There’s a cool dynamic here – Paige (from Los Angeles) and Lee (from Slough) have been a couple for over ten years – and they certainly look the part on stage, but crucially they also have the tunes to back this up. I’m with the latter camp after this performance – they are really good you know.
(by Phil Newton)
Live Nation, who certainly know how to spot talent, have announced that they are bringing Sunday (1994) back to Brighton as part of their 12-date UK tour. They will be playing live at the Green Door Store on Wednesday 19th November. The support is still to be announced, but the tickets are now on sale and can be purchased HERE.
Check out their self-titled 6-tune EP on their Bandcamp page HERE.
