WATCH OUT 2026, A CHAT WITH MANCHESTERS SLEEPING TOGETHER
Sleeping Together aren’t just more indie rock kids on the block. Made up of vocalist Alex, bassist Daniel, guitarist Mike and drummer Amber, they’re known in the scene for always putting on a good show. Whether it’s a festival or a hometown stage, their Strokes/ Arctic Monkeys-esque stylings are always a pleaser.
But behind the scenes, the band has not been without its hardships. I managed to grab a chat with the band before the release of the new song “In Love with my Ex”, and their story is definitely one worth listening to.
The North West ensemble was the product of a few different projects and the odd ad on JoinMyBand.com , with the name coming from “needing something quickly” after their previous title was already taken. And the sleek, cheeky label seems to have stuck.
“Sleeping Together” was the title of an unwritten piece Alex had started a while back, and it stuck. You’d be surprised how many emails get opened with the subject ‘Sleeping Together’.
There’s an airy fate around the group, as if everything just seemed to fall together, their music similarly falling into place. Their sound, whilst rooted in indie rock, is honest and whole, and the track “Pour Me Another”, released in April, is a great example.
“It was always one of our favourites, especially to perform live. We do have quite a varied sound, but we always tend to stick to our roots of scratchy guitars and multiple melodies.
“We always tend to have a lot going on within our tracks. Some of the unreleased pieces are quite simplistic, however.”
Festival season treated the band pretty nicely, and Instagram followers would’ve seen their wishes (and possible attempts) at ‘borrowing’ a particular banner from Truck fest back in July.
“Despite Mike’s best efforts, we were unable to obtain the banner, ha! Not our proudest moment, but we had a class night and some sore heads in the morning.
“A true highlight was how packed the Truck Festival tent was during our performance. Besides performing at The Ritz earlier this year, it was definitely the biggest crowd we’ve had the pleasure of performing to.”
“Amber insisted we carry on with the festivals. This Feeling, Wilderness Festival and Focus Wales were all generous enough to allow us to perform with a dep drummer. We’re praying we can get back there in 2026 with Amber.
As mentioned, beloved drummer Amber Hughes missed a few big moments with the band this year, after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, in May. Although now thankfully in remission, and back with the band as of October, she wants to tell her story and spread awareness of how important it is to look after your health.
She said: “I originally went to my GP with a lump I found in my lymph node. I wasn’t looking for it and found it completely by accident, so to go from that to being diagnosed with cancer was a complete shock.
“I think, as someone who is only 27, I also fell into the trap of thinking nothing like this would happen to me at such a young age. But unfortunately it did, so my biggest piece of advice would be to make sure you look after yourselves and go get checked out if you think something isn’t right.”
Amber experienced hair loss during her chemotherapy treatment, but, strong as ever, took it into her own hands.
“Amber had started to lose her hair through the treatment, so instead of letting chemo take it all, decided to cut it and donate it to a charity called the Little Princess Trust, who make wigs for children and young people with cancer and other medical conditions that cause hair loss.
“If anybody wants to, and is able to donate to the charity, she also started a Just Giving page to raise money for the charity.
“She wishes to say a huge thank you to the band and to the fans for supporting her through all of this. They have really been a rock for her and a huge motivation to get better. We’re eternally grateful for their support.
“Of course, she would have to be diagnosed right before our first ever festival season, so missed out on all of that. But luckily we had a brilliant session drummer to cover those shows, Alex Dorricott.
“Although it’s been a rough year, Amber’s so excited to be back with the band again and we know next year will be better than ever.”
So what’s next for the band? After some pretty stellar gigs, selling out the iconic Deaf Institute in their hometown, and the ups and downs of the year, they look positively to the next.
“Our incredible fans sold out The Deaf Institute show months in advance, which we’re delighted about. We’re debating tackling the higher-capacity room there. It’s a beautiful building that came so close to being lost during the pandemic, like so many others in Manchester.
“Really, we’d love to repeat 2025 – with Amber! We had some unreal highs, but preferably without the lows this time round. We’ve just finished up in the studio and, despite some careful isolation to protect Amber’s health, it feels like things are getting back to normal.
“The new tracks are sounding the way we’ve wanted them to for some time now. Roll on 2026.”
Sleeping Together are heading back to Manchester’s Deaf Institute in April next year, with newest, brilliant release ‘In Love With My Ex’ on streaming now.
Image via Sleeping Together
