Chatting with Mathew Petit from SUGAR!

SUGAR; the mesmerising and alternative synth-pop band from Manchester headlined their first gig of 2019 in February - at one of our events. The gig was to celebrate LGBT and women musicians. It also raised money for Manchester based charities, The Proud Trust and The Girls Network. SUGAR are a confident band; that are about promoting self-expression and supporting other artists in the music scene.

I caught up with the lovely and talented vocalist, Mathew Petit after the show. We had a chat about the bands upcoming single, his sexuality and raising awareness for the LGBT community.

I have seen you have been recording your new single, how is that going? Is it finished?

It is almost finished, I have just got to tweak the vocals a little bit. Once we have done that it is ready to go.

Who is playing with you at the Free Vibes gig on the 7th March?

There is a band called Spengler, Haha Sick (I love that name) and Cynthia Periscope (who we have played with before). They do experimental, electronic stuff which is really cool. It should be a good night.

Would you say you have had an overall positive reaction towards your music? I always see bands such as Sequin Sally posting nice things about you.

Yeah! We are all really good friends. The first thing that I would take from this experience is making lots of new friends. Everything else just comes after really. We all love making music and we all love performing.

Tonight you played a song which you mentioned is about being queer. Could you talk a bit more about this?

I wrote that about coming out - coming out to friends and parents. It’s about not feeling apologetic about who you are as a queer person or as a gay person. It is important to just say its not your choice, however, if it was I think i probably would choose it anyway! I love being queer and I love being gay. As queer people we see a lot more than other people see. You make these friends who will look out for you, when you want to dress a certain a way. It’s basically just about that really.

What would you say to other artists / bands that are struggling with expressing who they are? Especially to LGBT musicians.

I have discovered a lot more about my sexuality and also the way I want to present myself on stage. We all love aesthetics and visuals, and I think it is so important to enhance that when playing live. I would say to do everything that you can to make it authentic and real, because it can get quite stagnant and boring when a lot of bands are doing the same thing. Do what you need to be different and people will love that.

It’s nice having a band that understands you and who you are.

Yeah definitely, not everyone in the band is queer or gay. They don’t care what I choose to sing about, which is really nice.

What made you all get to the great sound you have today? Did you always picture it like this or was it different at first?

The basis of it was synth and electronica. I wanted to make more dance music in the beginning, more house music. It was kind of like dance pop but borderline house music. I then got with the band and we tweaked things as we went. It just progressed to the point where we started to use a full kit live and then we got another guitarist in. It’s kind of a bit more pop / alt-rock / synth-pop kind of stuff now - I love that music just as much as I love house music and disco music. The transformation to being a little bit more alternative and synth-pop / dream-pop - is kind of how I always wanted it anyway. I’m happy with how it is.

There has been an increase in the amount of musicians raising awareness of issues that the LGBT community experience. Are there any ways you think musicians can help to promote these issues more?

I guess everyone can help in their own individual way; no matter if you are queer or not. Also, I don’t think it’s just about being queer, it’s about respecting other people’s ways of life and what everyone wants to do. Also, being inclusive and teaming up with other bands that are queer, artistic and different. It’s only going to do you good if you get along with those bands and work with those bands and artists. There is a lot be heard from them. There are a lot of stories that people can tell you. Collaboration is probably key.

What plans do you have for after March?

We have got some plans; we want to branch out and move outside of Manchester a little bit. We are going to be releasing a couple more singles after the new one; I imagine every time we release something new there will be a show in Manchester to accompany it. There will be a lot of things happening.

Make sure to follow SUGAR’s pages so you don’t miss out on their single, which will be released this Wednesday. Don’t forget to get down to Band on the Wall this Thursday to see them play!