The Unthanks tickets

The Unthanks Tickets

The Unthanks In Winter City Halls, Glasgow, Glasgow
Sunday 1st December 2024 Doors at 19:00
The Unthanks In Winter The Albert Hall, Nottingham
Tuesday 10th December 2024 Doors at 19:00
The Unthanks In Winter Bristol Beacon, Bristol
Thursday 19th December 2024 Doors at 19:00
Saturday 21st December 2024 Doors at 18:00
The Unthanks Fan Reviews (2) 5.0
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Delightful Mix of Light and Darkness

The songs and poetry of Molly Drake vary from the light hearted, to the philosophical, to the downright dark. Despite her upper-middle-class background and upbringing, in similar fashion to her son (Nick), Molly had the ability, via her artistic output, accurately to reflect the ups and downs of the lives of others in a way that transcended class barriers. The Unthanks', respectful treatment did justice to the diversity and sensitivity of Molly Drake's work, the quality of which, until very recently, had passed unnoticed and unlauded, since she never performed her work in public. The combination of songs and the poetry, the latter read and recorded by Molly's daughter Gabrielle and played back between songs, worked beautifully. Suffice to say, that the unique timbre and combination of the voices of Becky and Rachel, as well as the beautiful arrangements played by the band, both suited and enhanced Molly's work. The unusual stage dressing, projected images and ethereal music played before and in the interval between the sets all served to create an other-worldly atmosphere which perfectly suited the nature of Molly Drake's music and poetry. The standing ovation that they received at the end was richly deserved: a brave project which hung together perfectly to give the audience a very special evening's entertainment.

Posted by Gary B on 30/04/2017

The Unthanks - How Wild The Wind Blows, TramShed, Cardiff - 29th April 2017

Breathtaking performance

Even though they were unaccompanied, their stage presence was amazing. The sound was perfect - all three were in balance.

Posted by Hadders on 03/05/2019

The Unthanks, Union Chapel, London - 2nd May 2019







The Unthanks are the Tyne and Wear-based folk group, focused on northern female perspectives.


Formed in 2004, the quintet consists of Rachel Unthank (vocals, cello, kalimba, feet), Becky Unthank (vocals, autoharp, feet), Niopha Keegan (violin, vocals), Adrian McNally (piano, vocals) and Chris Price (guitar, bass, vocals).


Their prolific output includes the studio albums Here’s The Tender Coming (2009), Last (2011), Mount The Air (2015) and Lines (2019).






Artist Bio

I'm glad to be around at the same time as them. They make my heart beat faster.” - Martin Freeman

It hits you in your soul, rather than you head. I love them.” - Ade Edmondson

There really is no better folk band in the land” - Q Magazine

The Unthanks cap both 10 years and a remarkable year with back to back London shows, one seated, one standing, both with their full 10 piece ensemble.
In wall-to-wall four and five star reviews, this year’s Mount the Air has been described as “quite simply, a masterpiece”, “music that asks you to consider everything you know and un-think it”, “an epic that Sigur Rós or Elbow would be proud of”, “folk on a different level - airborne, perhaps”, “the first truly jaw-dropping al-bum of 2015”, “both wildly experimental and comfortably familiar”, “gorgeously orchestrated”, “one of the best records I’ve ever reviewed”, “kind of beautiful, kind of blue”, and “beautiful yet stark, orchestral yet in-timate, clever yet with simple purity, dark yet kissed with light, ascendant yet earthy and rooted.”

Rather than embarking on some grand celebration, The Unthanks are quietly marking their 10th anniversary with just a handful of shows, their feeling being that if folk music is a lifelong pursuit, 10 years is just a drop in the ocean. And in the same respect, rather than putting out an exploitative ‘best of’, there will instead be a release of rarities. live recordings, memorabilia and unreleased material, coinciding with the tour.

Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and the only British folk representation in The Guardian’s and Un-cut’s best albums of last decade (worldwide, all genres), The Unthanks have an army of notable fans, in-cluding actor Martin Freeman, Elvis Costello, Colin Firth, Robert Wyatt, Ben Folds, Ryan Adams, Rosanne Cash, members of Portishead and Radiohead, Dawn French, Paul Morley, Ewan McGregor, Stephan Man-gan, Al Murray, Ade Edmondson and Nick Hornby. The Unthanks is a family affair for Tyneside sisters Ra-chel and Becky Unthank, with Rachel married to pianist, producer, arranger and composer, Adrian McNally. Using the traditional music of the North East of England as a starting point, the influence of Steve Reich, Miles Davis, Sufjan Stevens, Robert Wyatt, Antony & The Johnsons, King Crimson and Tom Waits can be heard in the band’s 8 albums to date, including Mount The Air, released to huge critical acclaim earlier this year.


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

If there was such a thing still as having a favourite band like in the old days, I’d say they were my favourite band.” - Paul Morley

Rachel and Becky's voices are one of the true wonders of 21st-century music” - NME

The Unthanks seem to regard folk music the same way Miles Davis regarded jazz: as a launch pad for exploring the wider possibilities.” - Uncut

Intimate, epic, overflowing with feeling and musical intelligence” - The Independent

It is their ability to pare back extraneous matter and to stare unflinchingly into the very soul of a song that makes them a spellbinding experience” - BBC Music

Just beautiful” - Lauren Laverne

Haunting, original and magnificent” - The Guardian

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