Some gigs feel like time travel. Others feel like a reminder that the past still has something urgent to say. When a band manages to do both at once, you know you’re watching something special. That was the case when Australian hip hop collective The Herd took to the stage at King Street in Newcastle on Saturday, 28 February, the final show of their national tour celebrating 20 years of their landmark album The Sun Never Sets.
Balancing nostalgia with relevance is no easy feat, but The Herd pulled it off with ease, delivering a set that honoured their past while reminding the crowd why their music still matters today.
The first half of the night leaned heavily into the anniversary celebration, running through tracks that transported long-time fans back to the mid-2000s.
Hearing songs like National Holiday, Starship Troopers, The Metres Gained, and Unpredictable live again felt like opening a time capsule from a formative era of Australian hip hop, when The Herd were pushing boundaries both musically and politically. For many in the room, myself included, it was an instant trip back to our twenties.
It was also a proud moment to see Newcastle homegirl Jane Tyrrell still killing it on stage with The Herd. Tyrrell’s voice has long been woven into the fabric of The Herd’s sound, and seeing her performing alongside the band in her hometown added an extra layer of specialness to the night. The band, who told the crowd how important the city had been to their music, also gave nods to Newcastle hip hop legends Blades and Tunz (who painted the outside of the Newcastle Live studios last year).
While the nostalgia hit hard early on, as the show went on, it really cemented the band’s place in the Australian music canon. The Herd have always thrived as a live band, blending MCs, singers and musicians into something far bigger than a traditional hip hop act, and the stage at King Street felt barely big enough to contain the collective energy.
For me, the first in the air peak of the night came with 77%, a song that remains one of the most important in The Herd’s catalogue. Two decades on, its message still lands with force, serving as a reminder of the band’s fearless willingness to tackle difficult themes and spark conversation through music.
As the final notes rang out on the last night of the tour, it was clear that The Herd haven’t simply survived the last twenty years — they’ve endured because their music still speaks to the moment.
