SUGAR SPINE
From starting as a quarantine solo project in Sydney to becoming a rising metalcore powerhouse in the Netherlands, Sugar Spine has been on a relentless upward trajectory. With a busy 2026 touring schedule ahead of them, including their first-ever headline run, we caught up with the guys to talk about finding their sound, the evolution of the band, and what it was like hitting the stage at a packed Jera On Air.
Hi gents, thank you so much for taking the time to join us for a chat. Can you give us an elevator pitch to the band and how Sugar Spine came to life?
Thanks for having us guys. Sugar Spine is a metalcore band based in the Netherlands. It started as a solo project from Josh when he was quarantined in Sydney during the pandemic, around mid-to-late 2021. In July 2023, after Josh got a visa to live in the Netherlands, the project became an actual band with the addition of Sietse, Koen and Tom.
Since the rest of the team joined the lineup in 2023, how has the band's writing and recording process changed from when it was a solo project?
When it was a solo project, Josh pretty much wrote and recorded everything himself. That writing style is still present in the latest tracks, but it’s refined and built up so much more now that Sietse and Tom specifically are able to add their creative skills to it. Both these guys are masters at their instruments, and you can hear the quality of the music improve drastically after they joined.
Your sound blends elements of hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore. Which bands inspired you most growing up and how do you balance those different heavy styles without losing your unique sound?
Yeah we’re a bit all over the place, but we love the freedom it brings. Our taste and influences are so varied across the band. Josh grew up on myspace deathcore, Slipknot and Stick To Your Guns. Tom grew up on Underoath and Breakdown of Sanity. Koen on Bury Your Dead and August Burns Red and Sietse on While She Sleeps and Northlane.
The balancing act is not really a conscious boundary we need to enforce most of the time, honestly. Sietse and Josh are the main songwriters and throw ideas back and forth until they start to blossom into tunes they really feel matches the direction of what they’re looking for.
Going back all the way – what was the moment that made you realize that heavy music is something you’d like to pursue?
It’s hard to pinpoint! Maybe it’s even a culmination of those moments that slowly add up until you realise it’s all you think about. For us as a group, it always comes back to discovering those seminal records or singles that completely changed the way we saw music. It’s also seeing friends play gigs and wanting to be a part of that. When you hear your first heavy track, it feels like you’ve broken through a wall to a whole other universe, and we’re living in that universe forever now.
"Go Outside" was a tipping point for you guys. Looking back at your 2025 EP, Violent Heaven, how do you feel your sound and production have evolved since that first big single?
It’s crazy that the first song we ever released did so well. It’s a privilege for sure. Since then, we’ve just been more and more excited to dive into what we love about songwriting. The biggest evolution has just been our keenness to be as real to ourselves as possible about what we like, and ensure that any aggression or vulnerability in the music we make comes from somewhere specific and authentic.
Production-wise, we just want to be as real as possible, but not bare-bones. It’s a fun balance to strike and we feel most of the time like we’re exactly where we want to be in this regard.
You have a very busy rest of the year lined up for 2026. Next month in September, you're hitting the road with Tenside and Aurorawave for a whole month . Then, you cap off the year with your own headline 'Soul Before Spirit Tour' across the Netherlands. Can you give our readers a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes preparing for a touring cycle like this?
It’s our first tour ever, so we’re 90% excited and 10% overwhelmed with all of the preparation required to make it happen. Honestly, the prep is boring, ugly and so unattractive, but we’re surrounded by amazing people at Doomstar Bookings and GoodFight Management who are supporting us. We’re just so excited to play our music to anyone who comes on any of the nights.
You recently played Jera On Air in June 2026! How did the crowd respond, and what was it like hitting the stage at such a legendary festival so relatively early in your career?
It was insane. When we walked out during the beginning of our set, we were stunned that the tent was essentially full all the way to the back. Our expectations were extremely low due to it being a heat-wave weekend, on day 3, as the opening band on that stage. It was exhilarating and made us only more hungry to do this as much and for as long as we can, in as many places as possible.
You guys have already collaborated with members from big heavy acts like Cabal, Distant, and Half Me. Is there anyone else on your bucket list you’d love to bring in for a feature down the line?
Oh for sure, off the top of our head, we’d love to collab with Paleface, Landmvrks, Dying Wish, Boundaries, and Stick To Your Guns.
Once the Soul Before Spirit Tour wraps up at the end of the year, what can we expect for Sugar Spine heading into 2027?
We wish that we could tell you, but we promise 2027 is going to be a loud one.
Thanks for having us <3
