Despite occasional periods of inactivity, the temporary departure of founder member Sam Genders, and Mike Lindsay’s various side projects, Tunng have never announced any sort of split. 2025 sees them celebrating the 20th anniversary of their debut album. With the full original line up reinstated since 2020, and latest album ‘Love You All Over Again’ released at the beginning of this year, the band’s current tour serves both as a celebration of that anniversary and of Tunng’s existence as a vital creative force as they enter their third decade.

Tunng are one of those bands with a signature sound which couldn’t really be mistaken for anybody else. The elements of that soundworld remain the same as they were on that first record: “This is Tunng…Mother’s Daughter and Other Songs”. The understated vocals of Mike, Sam and Becky Jacobs – often in unison, and acoustic guitars and banjo from Mike, Sam and Ashley Bates are set against the glitchy beats and samples generated by the combined live percussion of Martin Smith and the electronics of Phil Winter. It is an evocative and captivating combination which has always appealed to folkies and ravers alike.

As a nod to the 20th anniversary, the second half of that debut album is featured (side A was apparently played in gigs earlier in the year) in the middle of a set which draws from across the catalogue. As the evening goes on the dancy element comes to the fore, with the climactic pairing of Hustle and Bullets capturing something of a late night festival atmosphere in this slightly formal Town Hall venue.

So evocative is the acoustic/ electronic soundscape that it would be easy to overlook the sheer craftmanship of the songwriting. These are songs that tell stories – sometimes everyday, sometimes extreme, with a touch of ritual and the mystic. The bands black T-shirts, each with a single word in bold white lettering, could be read in more than one way, but I leave agreeing with the sentiment revealed at the end of the show when Tunng’s six members line up to allow us to read “Are We Not A Folk Band”? .