Tunng @ Stereo, Glasgow 22/07/10

The turn out for Tunng is pretty solid tonight; perhaps proving their longevity beyond the surge of US TV airplay that seemed to help the London folk collective cultivate somewhat of a ‘cult’ following a few years back. It also might be that this is the band’s first trip to Glasgow in four years, as their last Scottish visit, with Malian desert-wanderers Tinariwen early last year, favoured the capital.

Rejuvenated and inspired after this particularly unusual tour pairing, the band released their fourth full-length, ‘And Then We Saw Land’, earlier this year. This marked a shift in their previous creative
processes and personnel; bringing forward the role of vocalist/instrumentalist Becky Jacobs, while putting focus on the band as a whole unit.

It could be a case of personal preference but for all the album’s fullness and focus on songs as opposed to self-described “sketches”, tonight the tracks often sound stripped of their idiosyncratic charm.
Particularly recent single ‘Hustle‘, which sounds as normal as any other jaunty radio-friendly folk number, especially when compared to the brittle beauty of their earlier work.

However, ‘Don’t Look Down Or Back‘, from the same album - joined tonight by the supporting Hannah Peel on Trombone - triumphantly breaks the spell early on, while ‘Bullets‘ rustles up an unlikely
singalong with its unsettling-ly catchy chorus (’we’re catching bullets in our teeth’).

Gangly guitarist/vocalist, and founding member, Mike Lindsay also ushers in an unlikely antidote to any tedium when he dons a pair of ridiculous Bootsy Collins-esque shades mid-set and proceeds to let rip
with some fantastically over-the-top guitar shredding. Judging by his sheer glee it would appear there is a monitor-straddling rockstar casualty inside Lindsay desperate to escape.

There is a prominent feeling of playfulness to their work, despite the contrasting darkness of the lyrical content, and one that manages to shine through tonight. However, the real pleasure lies in the set’s
more stripped-down moments; songs such as the eerie, atmospheric ‘Tales From The Black‘ and enduring closer ‘Woodcat‘, which undoubtedly raises the most noise of the night.

Words: Ryan Drever
Pics: Alan Dunlop