Sunnyboys in 2026. Photo: Supplied.

Australian power-pop favourites Sunnyboys will reunite for a one-off Brisbane show as their landmark debut album turns 45.

The band will headline 4ZZZ’s ZED51 celebrations at The Amphitheatre, Roma Street Parkland, on Friday, October 23, joined by The Clouds, V Spy V Spy and Mick Medew and the Ursula 4.

Founding members Jeremy Oxley, Peter Oxley and Richard Burgman will be joined by drummer Paul Larsen, sitting in for the recently retired Bil Bilson.

The reunion comes alongside a new four-LP box set celebrating the band’s self-titled 1981 debut. Due on November 6 through Warner Music Australia, the 44-track collection includes the remastered album, Studio 301 demos, the band’s 1980 Phantom Records EP and a live recording from Sydney’s Governors Pleasure in February 1981. Pre-orders are open now.

The album will also become the subject of the first book about Sunnyboys. Written by longtime fan Stephen Bruel for Bloomsbury’s acclaimed 33 1/3 series, the book is due in Australian stores in early December.

YELO editor Penny Brand caught up with bassist Peter Oxley to talk about the album’s enduring pull, Brisbane’s independent music community and what it was like when going to see bands was simply how everyone socialised.

Q&A with Peter Oxley of Sunnyboys

YELO: When you made the first Sunnyboys album in 1981, did you have any sense those songs would still mean this much to people 45 years later?

Peter: We really had no idea what would happen with our album at the time. We were just concentrating on trying to make a really great record. It was a bit of a surprise when the album did so well.

YELO: What does that debut album sound like to you now when you hear it back after all this time?

Peter: It does really sound good when I hear songs from this record. It captures the band beautifully. The sounds still sound fresh, like it was recorded yesterday, and Jeremy’s lyrics still resonate.

YELO: You’re reforming for one special Brisbane show tied to 4ZZZ’s celebrations. Why did this feel like the right moment and place to return?

Peter: This show in Brisbane, when it was offered to us, immediately felt like it would be a great show to play. 4ZZZ had always been really supportive of our music and all great independent music, and we thought it would be nice to be part of the celebrations. Roma Street Parkland is also a fantastic venue. Looking forward to a beautiful sunny Brisbane day.

YELO: Have any songs from the debut changed meaning for you, or are there songs you appreciate more now than when you made them?

Peter: No particular song has changed meaning for me over the years, but I do appreciate the real depth in Jeremy’s lyrics. He has been able to write about love, vulnerability, confusion and sadness from a young person’s perspective beautifully. I think all the songs get better with every listen.

YELO: What do you remember most clearly about those early Sunnyboys years when everything was happening so quickly?

Peter: We used to play a lot of shows. I don’t think we really ever stopped. In the 1980s we used to go and see bands all the time. It was how we socialised, how we met people. It was our entertainment. We just happened to be on the stage. It was an exciting time.

YELO: What has surprised you most about the way people have kept finding Sunnyboys across generations?

Peter: We must have made some great music. Music that people could really relate to and music that mums and dads could play to their children and explain to them that this was what they were listening to when they were younger. And then maybe their children loved it as well.

YELO: When you walk off stage after this Brisbane show, what would make the night feel like it was worth getting the band back together for?

Peter: That a great time was had by all. We will certainly be rockin’.

Sunnyboys’ one-off Brisbane show

• Friday, October 23, 2026, 5pm — Sunnyboys + The Clouds + V Spy V Spy + Mick Medew and the Ursula 4 — The Amphitheatre, Roma Street Parkland, Brisbane — Tickets