Sundara Karma might leak their new album tomorrow

Opening the main stage of one of the country’s biggest festivals, local boys Sundara Karma couldn’t be more elated. “It was wild!” frontman Oscar Pollock proclaims excitedly. “We were pretty nervous before hand, but we weren’t as overwhelmed as we thought we would be, which is a really good thing. We were able to keep it together. No one pooed their pants – at least that I know of.”

Bursting open bottles of beer as if they were champagne post-performance, the sense of celebration is rife – but the moment is transitory: Sundara Karma are plowing on to bigger and better things. In just over four months, the group are releasing their debut album. “It’s all done. Which is kind of weird to say,” Oscar states. “We’ve never done anything like it before.”

Promising to share more new music “soon-ish” – a taster of which they debuted during their set – all systems are go for the Reading four-piece, and their enthusiasm is catching on faster than wildfire. “It’s average at best,” Haydn Evans states, deadpan. “Bland,” Oscar agrees. “We’re gonna leak it tomorrow,” the drummer announces. Titled ‘Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect’, the group describe the release as “an ode to growing up together.”

“It’s a collection of all the material that we’ve had since we were fourteen and we first started the band,” Oscar details. “It changes whenever you write things,” he ponders, “but I genuinely think the main influence has been loneliness.” Striving to offer “a comfort and unity and a sense of not being alienated,” the outfit are racing full steam ahead, and making every moment count. “We were literally just trying to have as much fun as possible making the record,” Oscar explains. “Hopefully that comes out in it.”

A sense of fun is something the group have no trouble invoking. One look at the mass sing along taking place in front of the stage and it’s clear just how much audiences enjoy this group. “It’s always a lot more intense when you read about it,” the frontman describes of the crowd reaction. “When you’re actually in it, it’s a really different feeling. We’ve been a band for ages, but there’s been this sudden feral wildness that’s come to the shows.” “They’re like sharks, aren’t they?” Haydn illustrates of the fans. “They get the taste of blood, and then they go wild!”