Fiction Plane are an English rock band consisting of lead vocalist and bass player Joe Sumner, guitarist Seton Daunt, and drummer Pete Wilhoit.
History When Sumner was a teenager in England, he was inspired to write songs after he heard Nirvana's album Nevermind. Sumner, having grown up around the music industry with his father Gordon “Sting” Sumner, already knew how to play guitar and drums, so he started a band with Dan Brown, a friend from school who played bass. Fiction Plane began to form in 1999 when they were joined by guitarist Seton Daunt.
At a live performance a few years later, they attracted the attention of David Kahne, a producer who escorted them into a studio to record their debut album, Everything Will Never Be OK. Lacking a full-time drummer, they invited Abe Laboriel Jr., a session musician who had played with them before. After the album was released, they hired Pete Wilhoit, a drummer from Bloomington, Indiana, and Fiction Plane was launched.
The band contributed the song "If Only" to the film Holes. The song's lyrics are mostly based on a recurring poem from the film and its source novel. The film's soundtrack album was released in April 2003, only a month after the release of Everything Will Never Be OK.
Following their debut, the band released Bitter Forces and Lame Race Horses (2005), Left Side of the Brain (2007), Paradiso (2009), Sparks (2010), and Mondo Lumina (2015).
Fiction Plane's popularity increased in 2007 when they were the opening act for The Police Reunion Tour - Joe Sumner is the son of Police lead singer Sting. Following a hiatus after the release of Mondo Lumina, the band announced new music in 2026 and joined Sting's Sting 3.0 Tour as special guests, with a six-night residency at the Brooklyn Paramount in November 2026.
Discography Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions FRA NLD USHeat. Everything Will Never Be OKReleased: 11 March 2003 Label: MCA Records — — — Left Side of the BrainReleased: 22 May 2007 Label: Bieler Bros. Records 111 9 46 SparksReleased: 10 May 2010 Label: Roadrunner Records 147 22 — Mondo LuminaReleased: 13 November 2015 Label: VERYCORDS — — —
Extended plays Title Album details Bitter Forcesand Lame Race HorsesReleased: 11 July 2005 Label: Universal Records
Live albums Title Album details ParadisoReleased: 23 March 2009 Label: XIII Bis Records Formats: DVD, 2xCD+DVD
Band members
Current Joe Sumner – lead vocals, bass (1999–present) Seton Daunt – guitar (1999–present) Pete Wilhoit – drums (1999–present)
Former Dan Brown – bass, keyboards, backing vocals (1999–2006)
References