A three-decade hiatus seemed to dissolve into sweet nothing as Sugar claimed the Rock City stage once again. Bob Mould, Malcolm Travis and David Barbe presenting something much more than a nostalgia trip, adding energy, humour and volume into the mix...
In 1995, after two full-length albums and an EP, Bob Mould called time on Sugar after merely three years of recording music, less than a decade after the end of his former band Hüsker Dü - who defined the American alternative rock scene of the mid 1980s. The end was sudden and sad in equal measure. The disappointment that those crowding the Rock City dancefloor felt deeply way back then has evaporated 31 years later.
Speaking to LeftLion back in April, Mould said it was in early 2024 that he, Malcolm Travis and David Barbe began circulating ideas of a possible comeback. “Me and David went for breakfast in San Francisco and got Malcolm on board. By October, we played through some old songs as well as ideas for new music.” Mould’s enthusiasm for writing and making music is long lasting and he hopes to consolidate it with those here about to embark on tonight’s nostalgia trip.
Support at Rock City comes from another peripheral veteran of the early 90s alternative power-pop in the form of Jawbox frontman J. Robbins. Much like Mould’s previous incarnation, Hüsker Dü, Jawbox emerged from an American underground awash with post-hardcore and pop-punk acts. These acts grew in popularity with the rise of music television, only to then be outmuscled by the rise of grunge — a genre the music press would swiftly fawn over and surrender to.
Robbins’ set is unplugged, with his acoustic guitar his only weapon. This is an enthusiastic set in which he claims he is “so f-ing happy” to be here in Nottingham and that he never thought he would be here to see Sugar on stage after all these years. While I enjoy his smooth tones, my youth begins to shine as some of the Jawbox tunes are completely alien to me. The final song in the set, Savoury felt like a fresh find even if it was released all the way back in 1994. The rattly riffs are hollowed out on the acoustic version minus the rest of the band. It conserved all the noise later needed for Mould and co to blare out from the off.
In a set consisting of 24 songs and running around 90 minutes long, this was the “Best of” live edition of Sugar, coated with a glaze of nostalgia. At the epicentre of this reunion was the news that Copper Blue, their 1992 album, would be remastered once again. Copper Blue was a diamond amongst many roughs at a time when grunge, shoegaze and the early seeds of Britpop were being sown. The follow-up, Beaster, though it impacted core Sugar fans, largely went under the radar.
The Act we Act inaugurates this nostalgia ceremony with a cruel deep precision. I had been warned by friends before tonight that things would get loud. Good thing I had my three-tiered ear buds to eliminate any tinnitus risks. Copper Blue sounds much more intense live and the pop punk sensibilities that appear more subtle on the album are reinvented here within those scrambled on the Rock City dancefloor. The interchanging harmonies between Mould and Barbe send a surrendering buzz around the room. Their voices are in equilibrium, and it is what started the pop-punk revival. If Sugar didn't bridge the gap left by Hüsker Dü, there would be no blueprint for the likes of Blink-182, The Offspring or Fall Out Boy to copy and cement the high-pitch twang as the defining characteristic of pop punk.
Mould brings so much energy – gyrating, spewing water mist like he’s Triple H, and testing out resilience for a Rock City on a late Sunday night. If I Can’t Change Your Mind brings the curtain down on a gig some 31 years in the making. A gig we received in an hour-and-a-half felt more like 10 minutes.
As Barbe wittily capped off before leaving the stage, “that’s our last show for another 31 years."
Sugar performed at Rock City on 31st May 2026.
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