After two years off the road, The Unthanks return to live touring as a five piece to showcase the forthcoming new album, Sorrows Away and perform a range of favourite tracks from their 14 record repertoire.

During seven years of project based work, they have both scaled up to symphonic levels and scaled down to the unaccompanied singing they grew up with, written six scarecrow soundtracks for Mackenzie Crook’s beautiful adaptation of Worzel Gummidge, and interpreted the work of female writers including Emily Bronte,   Molly Drake and Maxine Peake.

At the nucleus of a constantly evolving unit is the traditional upbringing of Tyneside sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank and the arrangements and writing of composer, pianist, producer and Yorkshireman, Adrian McNally. Descriptions of The Unthanks “a take on tradition that flips so effortlessly between jazz, classical, ambient and post-rock, it makes any attempt to put a label on them a waste of  time”.

“They run from the very root of folk music to the very tip of the branch.” Elvis Costello

“It’s quite a rare thing now. They’ve really got everything you could want from music. And I’m very fussy.” Robert Wyatt

“It hits you in your soul rather than your head. I love them.” Adrian Edmondson