Thirty years on from their untimely split, American indie punk pioneers Sugar reunite to play an extensive UK tour with a date at Rock City on 31st May. 2026 is shaping up to be a landmark year for the power punk trio with the super deluxe reissue of their 1992 debut album Copper Blue and the release of two new songs: House of Dead Memories and Long Live Love. We chatted with Iconic frontman Bob Mould about all things Sugar, Hüsker Dü, and the current state of political affairs in the US...
“It’s forty degrees in the California sun,” Bob Mould tells me with great satisfaction. For once, it isn’t raining on a Monday afternoon here, as it has for every Monday so far this year. The weather is dependent on the time of day. There’s a seven-hour time difference, which makes things slightly complicated as I initially arranged this call for 1pm UK time; a 5am Zoom interview didn’t seem like something Mould would appreciate. As it turns out, he laughs it off: “I’ve been up since 4am anyway, I'm feeling really fresh.”
Mould dissolved Sugar in 1995 to the deep disappointment of fans. This was only a few years after the break up of Hüsker Dü - the trio Mould formed with Greg Norton and Grant Hart in 1979 - which became one of the most influential bands to come out of the 1980s hardcore punk scene. Their influence would stretch far beyond the underground, shaping the sounds of mainstream bands including Nirvana, Green Day, and Weezer. To be the frontman of two era-defining bands is a rare feat, particularly in the States, but Mould carries that legacy with humility. He’s never been one to brag.
The origins of Sugar getting back together seem to be rather simple and convenient despite the amount of time passed since they last made music. In early 2024, Sugar bassist David Barbe, gave him a call to say he’d be in San Francisco, where Mould lives.
“Me and David went for breakfast together to discuss the possibility of working on new material. There was a lot of interest from promoters and the new record company, BMG, to get things starting up again. People were starting to percolate a bit so there definitely was some interest in working together again. After breakfast, I told David about this and I asked are you interested? And he said yes, so we reached out to Malcolm (Travis) and Malcolm was interested as well.
"We didn’t meet again until October of '24 when David joined me on my solo tour. We would have a day off in Athens, Georgia where the three of us took time off to compile a playlist of things to play. We played for an hour and thought it sounded pretty good. We got together in June of '25 to record three new songs, two of which have now been released. I was very surprised by the reaction from people," Mould admits.
For longtime Sugar fans, this was their prayers finally being answered. For new ones, it sparked a streaming-era rediscovery of Copper Blue and Beaster, records that still sound urgent and fresh. Mould admits he didn’t hear much of this renewed interest at the time - his solo career now 15 albums deep, kept him moving.
“We came to a point where the six albums Silver Age through to Here We Go Crazy were just too much,” he says. "David’s life is very different - he teaches at the University of Georgia in their music department. Malcolm moved to New England with his family. We all had very different and busy lives at that time.”
Now, with Sugar’s UK tour approaching and a reissue of Copper Blue on the horizon, Mould reflects on his long connection with British audiences.“We first played in London, but the crowds have been great wherever we’ve been.”
He credits Creation Records and Alan McGee for their early breakthrough in the UK. "They got us our first UK tour in the summer of '91 - we were playing a lot of festivals with Nirvana and Dinosaur Jr. There were a lot of things going on that summer - it felt like the second coming of punk from the late 70s.”
The comparison between Britain's 1976 punk rock explosion and the American underground scene, which eventually birthed grunge is an interesting one. As with any artistic movement, they emerged against the backdrop of political hostility. Mould cites the hostility towards the LGBT community - something he experienced as an openly gay man in the scene. Despite this Hüsker Dü and Sugar thrived, in large part due to the British music press who championed them,
“We had the three biggies - NME, Sounds, Melody Maker - out every week, it marked a real high point for British music journalism. They championed bands that went against the grain. By 1992, when Copper Blue came out, things were really heating up. Nirvana, Pixies and Dinosaur Jr - they were the catalyst. When [Smells Like] Teen Spirit came out, it was like… wow.”
Mould cites The Buzzcocks as a major-influence on Sugar’s sound, especially the pop punk sensibility that shaped Copper Blue.
“It had a very sentimental undertone to it," he says, whereas "Beaster had a totally different vibe - the evil twin you might call it.”
He notes the pop element was present in the Hüsker Dü days, as well, but Sugar “just turned up more”. The heavier elements of Sugar come from the core drums, bass and guitar - a structure he carried with him into his solo career.
“If you look at my catalogue from Silver Age to Here We Go Crazy, it’s the same structure with the same musicians and it’s the approach I'm most comfortable with.”
Get together with other musicians and just play
Politics has always been woven into Mould’s songwriting. Reflecting on the difference between the political climates of then and now, Mould says back then he was "writing blind" during the early 80s - the era of Reagan and the emerging HIV/AIDS crisis.
“Back then, I had so much energy to write about things. The '80s couldn’t have been much worse for LGBT folks. A lot of people became marginalised and a lot of people died. The '90s saw some progress; it was the era of Clinton, Blair, and The Third Way which brought a 'sky is the limit' attitude. Now we have Trump and we’re back to this 'Otherism'. But now it’s the trans community. It’s people of colour. It’s Christians, not the Evangelical ones who have become a cultural cult that bears no resemblance to religion. I think now, for different reasons, we’re in an equally bad time, if not worse.”
Despite the political turbulence and the looming threat of AI, Mould has some simple advice for those wanting to make politically charged music.
“Get together with other musicians and just play. Try to stay away from adding too many backing tracks and just play. It doesn’t matter how good you sound - you’ll get a sound. You'll meet other bands, form wider connections. When that happens, it’s like a sign of good fortune. In times like this, it’s important to find your own voice and stick to it. When you find that voice, anything can happen.”
Sugar’s revival shouldn’t be dismissed as just another '90s reunion. The “doing for the money” cliché doesn’t apply here. If anything, it highlights the value of making music that matters. Mould’s dedication to music during his long career has seen a strong evolution from energetic upstart to someone with a full-bodied oeuvre. Sugar’s music resonates as strongly today as it did in the '90s, perhaps even more so. It feels like a call to action.
As Mould put it himself on Copper Blue’s opener: “If I can’t make you change your mind, then no-one will.”
Sugar perform at Rock City on 31st May 2026. Tickets are available here.
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
