Introducing: Sunday Best

This gang of groove-laced heathens fuse emo and post-hardcore into something both raw and radiant — using riffs, rage, and reflection to wrestle with death, divinity, society, and the self.

With a trail of sold-out shows in London and Birmingham, support slots for Love Is Noise and Happydaze, and festival appearances from Multitude to Decolonise Fest, the band are quickly carving out a space of their own. Their debut single ‘Past Tense’ racked up thousands of streams and grabbed attention on both sides of the Atlantic via Amazing Radio, while a live session at Marshall’s own studio shows they’re as sharp live as they are in the booth. We caught up with Sunday Best to talk chaos, catharsis, and what’s coming next…

Your music fuses groove-oriented emo and post-hardcore while tackling themes of death, divinity, society and the self. What draws you to these themes, and how do they shape your songwriting?

Alex (Ekong, lead vocals): I’m the primary lyricist and these words - death, divinity, society and the self - were crucial to creating the mood of what would eventually become Sunday Best. They are basically the lenses through which I perceive everything. Every song, every thought comes back to one of those words. I always liked the feel of bands like My Chemical Romance, letlive and Smashing Pumpkins - where the core of the band is the message or the idea rather than the people in it. Our aim is to help our community grapple with these topics and figure out how to navigate, celebrate, commiserate or empathise with each other against the oppressive backdrop of these things.Alfie (Flanagan, guitar): A lot of the groove for me came from growing up on artists like Toots and the Maytals and Fela Kuti while also being shown bands like Fugazi and At The Drive-In by my stepdad. I think all of these artists always had very politically and socially conscious lyrics that bled into the music itself and really left an impression on me at a young age, kind of helping me to learn that music could be a vehicle for something deeper and more meaningful. I think as a band it’s led us to try and make music that gets people moving while also giving them a message to latch onto. 

Sunday Best has built a reputation for high-energy, unpredictable live shows. What’s your approach to performing, and how do you create such an intense live experience?

Alfie: I think everyone has a naturally high energy on stage and through that we kinda bounce off of each other. Alex does a really good job at getting the audience involved and that energy from the audience gets brought into the band which really allows us (both band and crowd) to engage with each other in a really meaningful way.

Alex: Anyone who’s ever been on a stage will tell you that it’s an electric feeling. I really just live to perform and interact with an audience. I feel possessed at times. I’m a very even keel in day-to-day life - I carry around so much pent-up energy that I’m just grateful to have punk shows as a place to safely discharge it. We’ve done a lot in the band to create an environment where we all feel safe being the most honest version of ourselves, which I think empowers everyone to climb stuff, jump in the crowd, do whatever they feel serves the show. That’s what we try to encourage in the audience as well, to be free and unjudged in our space.

You’ve shared the stage with bands like Love Is Noise and Beauty School and played major festivals like Multitude and Decolonise Fest. What have been the most defining moments for you as a band so far?

Alex: As nice as it is to play with great bands and get the kind of festival bookings we have been offered at this point in our career, nothing will compare to the feeling of playing Decolonise Fest for me. Playing an event like that which is by alternative people of colour and for alternative  people of colour is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time in my music career. It’s an event very close to my heart as a person of colour in the punk scene who grew up without any kinship of that sort.That night the room was full of people who were just like me and they were all rooting for us, it just felt like a warm embrace.

Your debut single ‘Past Tense’ gained thousands of streams and heavy airplay on Amazing Radio. How did it feel to get that kind of response early on, and how has it influenced your next steps?

Alex: We were really just thrilled to have it released, and then for it to get the response it got was very humbling. More than anything, I love the way an audience reacts to that song, it turns a room upside down and that’s more important to me than any stats or numbers. It’s become a bit of a signature for us, which is nice, but since it was a song that came together so early in our career, we know we’re capable of more.

With your growing presence in London’s DIY emo and hardcore scene, what’s next for Sunday Best? Are there any upcoming releases or tours fans should look out for?

Alex: Our latest single Dig Deep is out right now and another is on the way before the year is out, then it’s back to the lab to create more music. We have a ton of ideas for things we can’t wait to share with our friends. Look out for us at Headcharge Fest in September too!