The Sunshine Underground

Luminescent is The Sunshine Underground's 4th and final album. During their 10 years as a band they've gone from those Indie feels to electro triumphant. They headline Friday at Lodestar and I for one cannot wait to go and see them!

Can you tell us an interesting fact about yourself or one of your bandmates?

I came first in the year 2 Egg and Spoon race at Meole Brace Infant School sports day 1986. I think my mum still has the certificate somewhere...

Do you have any party tricks or hidden skills?

I can do pretty good impressions of Neil Tennant, Lulu and that guy from Placebo. Always goes down well at Karaoke.

After 10 years of music making this is your final year, How would you describe your whole experience as a band?

Up an down. Not really, it's been the best. I've got to travel around the world playing music with my best mates for 10 years, getting blind drunk and having a total laugh. Sad to say goodbye but time for new adventures.

Are you excited for the Farewell Tour?

Definitely. We have 4 albums worth of songs so the set-list will be hard to choose.. We've toured the UK so many times it seems strange that this is the last time. We'll make the most of it for sure.

You’ve been up and down the country playing a fair few festivals over the past few months how has it been?

Good yeah, always enjoy festivals. They're great places to hang out with, make new friends and watch new bands. What's not to enjoy?

You’re music has evolved really nicely over the past few years since Raise The Alarm, did you’re writing and recording process change organically or was it an artistic decision?

Why thank you. I guess it did change after album 2 when we lost our bass player (he left to start a family btw, he didn't die). We started writing in a more studio based way rather than in a live band set up. That gave us an opportunity to embrace the electronic side of our tastes more and opened up a whole new way of writing.

Are you looking to continue making music elsewhere after your final tour?

I'm sure we'll all make more music, we don't really know how to do anything else. I think we got to a point with The Sunshine Underground where we felt we've taken it as far as we could really. We'll all be back at some point in some shape or form I hope.

What has been the biggest highlight and most memorable gig?

Probably Glastonbury 2007, it was the summer after our first album came out and was the biggest gig we'd played at the time, on the Other Stage at 3.30pm I think. It rained all day but stopped for 45 minutes just when we played..

what are you most looking forward to about playing Lodestar?

This will be our 3rd time and we always look forward to playing the festival. This time we're headlining on the Friday night on the main stage so that's extra exciting in itself

And finally if you could form a supergroup with 3 other artists, dead or alive, who would you form with and what would you call yourselves?

Talking Heads, LCD Soundsystem and Bowie. That's be a party! What would we call ourselves though... I'm not sure.. I'd let Bowie decide. Bowie knows best.