W: Karl Watson
Every band has a DNA made of the records that came before them. For us, those influences are a broad church—stretching from the strut of 70s glam to the gritty, existential weight of the modern post-punk scene. Music is the fuel behind our "Dark Indie" sound, and these tracks are the ones we’d cling to if we were stranded at sea.
From the raw, "in-your-face" attitude of The Kinks to the "lazy swagger" of Led Zeppelin, this selection represents the building blocks of Suncharmer. It includes the tunes that inspired our songwriting, the riffs that made us want to pick up guitars as kids, and even the iconic ABBA anthem that announces our arrival on stage.
NEW SINGLE ‘WITH EVIL EYES' RELEASED 1st MAY 2026
1: The Kinks - All Day And All Of The Night
This one is a great old rock n’ roll tune that just has so much attitude. The riff, which is very in your face and raw, was allegedly played through an amp with a slashed speaker - we love it.
2: T-Rex - Get It On
We’re big fans of Marc Bolan and take a lot of inspiration from him and T. Rex. Some of the lyrical concepts in this song are rather abstract but quite cool - some good examples would include ‘hubcap diamond star halo’ and ‘cloak full of eagles’.
3: Crying Lightning - Arctic Monkeys
Although the album Humbug is often seen as a low point in their discography we’d have to disagree. This song is a fine example of why Alex Turner is one of the very best when it comes to writing very clever but incredibly witty and catchy numbers.
4: Go With The Flow - Queens Of The Stone Age
This was one of those songs that was regularly on repeat on Kerrang back in the day, so that’s probably where we first heard it. It’s a great one for a driving playlist and the music video is iconic.
5: I Want You (She’s So Heavy) - The Beatles
This song just seems lightyears ahead of anything else that was going on musically at the time and that outro section is just awesome - you can imagine that riff being in a breakdown for a doom metal song or something. We’ve discussed recently maybe doing a cover of this at a show which would be super fun!
6: ABBA - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
This is what we use as our walkout music and it seems to suit the vibe every time. In terms of songwriting ABBA consistently delivered some bangers and we’re proud to say we’re fans.
7: I Love You - Fontaines D.C.
The title of this song always seems wonderfully misleading because it is anything but a cheery love song. It’s dark and makes you feel like you’re having an existential crisis in the best way possible. Grian Chatten’s lyricism is particularly good with lines like ‘I loved you like a penny loves the pocket of a priest’.
8: Oh Well Pt 1 - Fleetwood Mac
Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac era is really interesting because it started out as fairly straight blues and got progressively more bold and out there sounding. The guitar is pretty awesome all over this track too.
9: Can’t You Hear Me Knocking - The Rolling Stones
This is one of those where Keith Richards and Mick Jagger are just at their best. The guitar riff, particularly at the start, is just one of those that really makes you think as a kid ‘yeah this is for me’.
10: When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
This song has this real lazy swagger throughout and John Bonham’s drums at the start just sound massive with all the reverb and echo. This and ‘Going To California’ are standouts from Led Zeppelin IV.