“I WANT TO BREAK DOWN THAT FOURTH WALL” | CUPID STUNTS ON NEW LINE-UP AND NEW MUSIC

INTERVIEW | CUPID STUNTS @ SNEAKY PETES, EDINBURGH | 13th December 2025 by Mairi Lynch

Cupid Stunts have been my favourite grassroots live performers for a long time now, and their stage presence feels genuinely unmatched. If they’re playing to a sold-out crowd or an empty room, they turn every set into something memorable. Their performances feel energetic, and unmistakably their own, driven by distinctively written songs.

Slotted between Count The Days and headliners Fog Bandits, Cupid Stunts brought huge atmosphere to Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s, in the popular live music hub of the Cowgate. The crowd absolutely adored them, even with an audience members shouting they love them at full volume throughout the set.

They played eight songs, mixing old favourites with new material, including ‘Happy’ and ‘Jobsworth’, both already released via Spotify, alongside several unreleased tracks set to drop soon. The sound stayed consistently upbeat, blending punk energy with danceable beats, while the band roamed through the audience, encouraging people to sing down their microphone and even strum the guitar mid-song.

While much of their music is fun and light-hearted, Cupid Stunts don’t shy away from heavier themes such as, misogyny and mental health. Such as songs like ‘I’m Good’, urging listeners to reach out and check on their friends. 

Tonight also marked the band’s first performance with new members. Sarah-Jane (SJ) – the new guitarist – was a perfect edition to their line up. Also with their regular drummer unable to attend, a substitute stepped in and delivered an impressive performance, especially considering the short time they had to learn the set.

Before the show I had the opportunity to sit down with the lead singer (Lewis Gordon) and ask him some questions:

How has it been bringing new members into the band? Has it changed your sound or the way you write music?

“It kind of feels like we’ve completed things… I think is fostered a kind of more exciting writing process…Maybe I’ll put forward an idea of been working on my bedroom and SJ will just start playing something over it. It kind of gives me that sort of spark that I’ve not felt for a long time.”

Do you have plans to realise new music soon?

“We do have new music coming out…we’re currently in the middle of recording it. We’re planning a headliner for some time in the spring to launch the song. We’re super, super excited about the next song because it kind of retains our sort of like angry scathing punk attitude towards the situation there that we’re all facing in the world, but it’s kind of got like a dancy kind of vibe to it. Lots of kind of funk influence.”

What kind of atmosphere do you want people to feel when they come to your shows?

“The big thing for me is I want to break down that fourth wall. Like we try to get people on stage wherever possible. I think that’s the most fun thing – inclusion and having accessful spaces.”

What keeps you all motivated during quieter or harder periods?

 “I find sometimes it’s important to allow myself time away from it. because sometimes it becomes a bit of like a pressure cooker. Like, yeah, we’re not a particularly big band or anything, but, um, I think a lot of musicians would connect with that whole, you put pressure on yourself…one of our sort of big resolutions for the new year is to write an entirely new set. I think it’s all fair to say all of us are artists, so this is something that kind of comes naturally to us. We’re going to end up doing it no matter what. But sometimes quiet periods, they help the stress come off a bit.”

Cupid Stunts continue to show me how amazingly energetic they are, and that their live shows are something truly special.