Harriet Wheeler has been out of the public eye for quite some time now, but that doesn’t mean she’s not missed. It’s been over 10 years since their last album (wow!) yet I get more emails and comments about Harriet Wheeler and the Sundays than anyone else. If you’re ever feeling reminiscent, youtube has a great collection of Sundays interviews and videos, including their video for Summertime! While you’re here though, why not leave some comments about Harriet and the Sundays! Out of respect for Harriet and her family, please do not post any information on her place of employment! Any comments that do will be removed.
Image Gallery
Below are just a few pictures of Harriet Wheeler from various videos and TV appearances. More are available at the Sirens of Song photostream on flickr.
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – Summertime
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – In Concert
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – Goodbye
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – Love
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- Harriet Wheeler (the Sundays) – MTV Europe
Concert Review
9:30 Club (Washington, DC – 12/3/97)
December 3rd, 1997 will go down as one of the best days of my life. I finally saw the Sundays in concert and they were awesome! Harriet hit every note. They performed about 17 songs (this is from memory…I wasn’t able to get my hands on a set list) including the 3 encores. Here they are in no particular order. If anyone does have the set list from the D.C. show please inform me of my errors.
Summertime
Homeward
She
What Do You Think
When I’m Thinking About You
Here’s Where The Story Ends
Can’t Be Sure
Joy
Medicine
Another Flavour
Hideous Towns
Monochrome
My Finest Hour
Goodbye
I Kicked A Boy
Turkish*
Cry
*clip from a Vancouver performance (3/15/93), not the D.C. show
The best part was that I met Harriet! After the show, I started walking to my car and noticed 3 or 4 people hanging around out front where the tour bus was so, I decided to stick around too. One of the tour members knew what was going on so he stressed to us several times that if we just stayed calm and didn’t act like maniacs they’d probably sign autographs and pose for photos.
To make a long story short, about an hour later it finally happened. They walked right out the front door and signed autographs and posed for pictures. (By this time there was a small crowd of about 20 people.) Both Harriet and David were very nice and down to earth. They were making conversation with everyone and were more than happy to sign everything and anything that was handed to them. They must have stood outside in the cold and drizzle for at least 30 minutes. I am quite happy to say I was able to get an autograph and even pose for a picture with them. Even after I got a pic with them I stuck around a while and took about 7 more pics. Of course it goes without saying I ran to the one hour photo shop the next day and got reprints in every size…5×7, 8×10, and 24×36. (Ok, I didn’t go for the poster size). All in all, it was a night I’ll never forget! More photos from the night are available at the Sirens of Song photostream on flickr.
Albums/Singles
This IS NOT a complete discography. This only represents what I own.
 Static And Silence (1997)
1. Summertime |
 Blind (1992)
1. I Feel |
 Reading Writing and Arithmetic (1990)
1. Skin & Bones |
 Summertime CD-1 (1997)
1. Summertime |
 Summertime CD-2 (1997)
1. Summertime |
 Cry CD-1 (1997)
1. Cry |
 Cry CD-2 (1997)
1. Cry |
 The Black Session (1993)
1. My Finest Hour – live |
 Can’t Be Sure (1990)
1. Can’t Be Sure |
 Goodbye (1992)
1. Goodbye |
@AfanofTheSundays and Duncan581 – Good call on Innocence Mission. I haven’t listened to them since Glow, but they definitely have a Sundays vibe.
Just after Christmas my girlfriend and I spent a day at a local spa. We had just finished lunch and were relaxing in a quiet area next to the spa café. I brought my iPod to the spa, so I was listening to The Sundays while waiting for our next spa treatment. I had just finished listening to My Finest Hour and had taken off my headphones, when a young woman sitting across the room asked if I had just been listening to The Sundays! I was stunned that she could hear the music, since the volume wasn’t that loud. I said “yes” and we talked for a few minutes about our love of The Sundays’ music. Unfortunately, my girlfriend and I had to get to our next appointment, so we didn’t have much time to talk. I would have loved to have talked to her more, sharing our thoughts about Harriet and David’s great music and perhaps sharing thoughts about our other favorite bands. (The closest I’ve found to the Sundays’ sound is The Innocence Mission’s Glow.) We both said it was fun to meet another Sundays fan in person. I could tell that she is just as passionate about their music as I am.
I think the reason why there are so many posts on this website is that there has not been any resolution for the fans. It’s puzzling why artists with such great talent would simply disappear. Surely David had spent many years perfecting his craft and I imagine David, Harriet, and the rest of the band had worked hard to create such great music. The couple built a studio in their home to record the basic tracks for Static and Silence, and in an interview in 1997 David asserted that, since they now had their own studio at home, they would probably be releasing their next album within about six months. What could have happened?
Yes, I wish them all the best and respect their decision and their privacy. But, if only they or someone in the know would give us a hint as to why they disappeared and whether or not they might ever make any more music, then maybe there would be some resolution for the fans. After all these years they are still my favorite band and the music sounds as fresh to me today as the first time I heard it.
I found this twitter account. Check it out.
@musicallypaul
Paul Brindley
“Loughborough Grammar School, Bristol University, The Sundays bass player, digital music bla”
Is really him?
to PJT,
On mithluin youtube channel(hi Luis) you have The Cranberries, The Innocence Mission is also a band people say they are like The Sundays, personally I think in terms of Harriet’s singing, no one holds a candle to her! And for the guitar I would say The Wedding Present, although it’s comparing apples and pears but I thing Gavurin would enjoy playing the Present’s songs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uErGpb3SvIM
Thanks PJT, i have a Sundays channel too, http://www.youtube.com/user/mithluinluis?feature=mhee
Hello PJT,
for over a year now i have the complete Electric Factory show on my youtube channel, and although there are already some videos from the Union Chapel show on youtube, it would be FANTASTIC if you could upload the complete Union Chapel show !!!!!!!!!! It’s their very last live gig : (
I did come across bands sounding like The Sundays, some people say, but I don’t know their names, I will look it up for you. Check out my youtube channel! Lots of live videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/AfanofTheSundays
Give me a few weeks and I’ll upload the 2 shows. I’ll post the link here when I finish. I’m always looking for music with The Sundays sound, if you have any Suggestion let me know.
ps and let us know you uploaded!
I’m definitely interested, PLEASE do share everything you have upload those videos on youtube!
Share the wonder called Harriet and The Sundays!
Would be great!! @PJT
Please share those!!!! And i know that afanoftheSundays will be interested too.
Just remembered, I have the Philadelphia Electric Factory Concert 12-11-1997 Video on VHS about 68 min long. Also the Union Chapel ,Islinton show video about 78 min long. If theres any intrest I’ll convert to AVI and up it.
Great band, got to see them at The Electric Factory in Philly. Still listing to there music after all these years. With a recording studio in there home you would think there was unreleased stuff around. Thanks for the link for Nikki Kummerow. Her album is out called Firecracker, good stuff. I’ll leave a link to a band that reminds me of The Sundays called Trespasser Williams.
Don’t think they put anything out since 2006. Heres a couple of there songs, a Mazzy Star/Sundays/Amy Lee feel. http://www.mediafire.com/?xvepfzmi224487q
Defenetly one of he best bands in he world unbelievable that we dont Here from hem for all those years
Harriet is unique, Here voice stil touches me deeply for more than 15 years now,
I play there albums weekly stil, andere am stil impressed by there style andere in Love andere addicted to harriets voice. Were has she, weer have the gone!!!! …SHE IS WORLDCLASS!!!!…
I was at the two shows prior to that DC show (Philly, NYC). I met them in NYC along with some other members of their internet fan club. They told me they’d put me on the list for their Philly show the next evening, so I went and hung out with them backstage after the show! Wow!
truly beautiful and unsurpassed
Hello Anth,
I when to have a listen and she has a lovely and pleasant voice, but not that magic that Harriet’s voice has. You can listen to Nikki on her Myspace page http://www.myspace.com/nikkikummerowband
If she has got a comment from the Harriet Wheeler from Myspace then I’m afraid she is in for a bit of a disappointment because that’s not THE Harriet Wheeler. But who knows maybe the true Harriet did contact her so please do try and ask Nikki, I think we all would like to know more!