A CONVERSATION WITH... sunday (1994)
Missed Reading and Leeds 2025? We got your back with our 13 artists to watch. Next up is Sunday (1994), an English-American dream pop band based in L.A. Come romanticise your life and make every tiny moment feel special. Catch them on tour in September and November!
Lee
I actually introduce the band on stage, so I’ll lead this. All the way from the depths of Peru, so good they named him once, on the drums... Please give it up for Puma!
And centre stage, dressed in white, singing us softly to sleep... It's Paige Turner!
Paige
And the loudest cheer goes to the one from Slough. He’s the man on the guitar, give it up for the Lee Newell! And we are Sunday (1994).
How did you guys come up with the name Sunday (1994)?
Paige
The first song that we wrote was written on a Sunday, and we knew we wanted to call the band Sunday. But as time went on, even before we released the songs, we knew that was probably too simple a word. The band evolved into something very cinematic with a ‘90s influence. And since I was born in the 90s, we decided to stylise it like a film. Like when you look up a film on IMDb, you see films credited that way.
If people are getting into your music this weekend, what message do you want your music to get across?
Lee
We tend to maximise the small moments in life. We zoom in a little bit and try and make the boring stuff appear less boring. It's very meaningful there. It's also very autobiographical.
Paige and I have been dating for a long time. 11 years, 12 years. So as a band, we have a lot to talk about. We are very comfortable when we're writing and we can finish each other’s sentences. With Puma in the band, we have another brain that makes it all work.
Puma
Yeah, we've only been dating for three years.
Lee
It's interesting when we’re all in bed together.
Speaking of being in bed together, one of our fun little things we do at festivals is ‘Fuck, Mary, Kill’ for your songs.
Paige
OK, fuck ‘Devotion’ because it feels sexy. It’s like when you're really drunk at the end of the night and want to have fun. I'd marry ‘Tired Boy’, and I’d kill ‘Silver Ford.’ I didn't really love it. I didn't wanna put it out that badly, to be honest. But other people liked it and I saw the appeal. It wasn't my favourite song we did or that I wrote.
Lee
This is a hard one, but I’d say fuck ‘Still Blue.’ It's the most aggressive song, which I don't know what that says about me! Marry ‘TV Car Chase’, because it’s very delicate and kill ‘Mascara.’ Just because we haven't played it yet on this tour, there must be a reason why.
Puma
I agree with fucking ‘Still Blue’, in a good way. I’d marry ‘Tired Boy’ as well, and I think I'd kill ‘Softly’, unfortunately.
Lee
Yeah, that's a good one. It's a bit of a mouthful to play live.
I have to respect how quick you guys were with your answers as well. You were ready to say your truths.
Lee
Thank you. We're obsessed with ourselves.
A question that got left for you guys was, if you could learn another language, what language would you learn?
Paige
I’d say Spanish because I should know it, living in California. Puma is fluent, I should be able to speak it with him.
Lee
I agree. Well, Puma can speak a few languages.
Puma
I'd appreciate that I can speak it, but I would want to learn French purely to be accepted by the French when we go to Paris. I always disappoint them.
Lee
They really like it when you make an effort, which I understand. I would say Japanese for me, because wow. With French or any sort of other Latin language, you can sort of figure it out. But with Japanese, there's just no way.
What's the question that you'd leave for another artist?
Lee
What band at Reading Festival do you hate the most? I'm joking.
Paige
What was the first music festival you ever went to? It’s kind of a simple one. Keeping it PG.
Lee
And how did it affect you?
Paige
My first one was Coachella. I grew up near there and I did start going when I was probably 14.
Puma
Sweet life in Maryland was my first one in 2013. Phoenix was headlining and Twenty One Pilots was playing the smallest stage to about fifty people.
Lee
Mine was this. It was Reading Festival, a 100 million years ago. What I took away from that was one day I'd love to be playing it and now we are.
What is a question that you wish you got asked in interviews but you haven't yet?
Paige
Tell me more about your dog. I wish people said that to me. He's the most beautiful boy that's ever been birthed on the planet Earth. He's 5 lbs full of anger and love and he's the best thing. His name is Finn and he's a Chihuahua.
Lee
What question would I like to be asked? Would you like a beer? That's the question. The answer is yes, always.
Puma
I second that, except mine would be ‘Would you want to collaborate with Guinness? I’d always say yes.
What’s been a moment of joy you’ve experienced in music-making so far?
Paige
Finding out that our first ever UK tour was going to be a sold-out tour. I've dreamed of something like that for so long. We've been in this industry for a very, very long time and there have been ebbs and flows. I didn't know if I was ever going to get to this point. It was a really cool bucket list moment seeing all the shows that I'm about to play be sold out. More importantly, it was a wonderful tour, and the fans were amazing.
Lee
To be playing music as much as we are, it makes you very present and I really love that. It's difficult with the phone in your hand to just get lost in music. So, it's nice to be present and be here, talking to people like you.
Puma
It's funny because for me, it's whenever the three of us somehow make it to a pub somewhere in the UK or Europe. The three of us had an interesting way of being brought together. So those moments where we're in the middle of nowhere, having a drink together, because of our music, is really cool to me.