The Herd | 20 Years of The Sun Never Sets | Adelaide

To celebrate 20 years of The Herd’s era-defining third record The Sun Never Sets, the much-loved hip hop group are set to tour nationally in February 2026. Proudly presented by Destroy All Lines, The Sun Never Sets 20th Anniversary Tour will visit Thirroul, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Hobart, with audiences treated to tracks from the iconic album, alongside fan favourites from across their discography. 

A group ahead of their time, The Herd boldly delved into controversial topics and opened conversations around anti-racism, decolonisation, anti-war and environmentalism through their songwriting, with The Sun Never Sets cementing them as one of the most sociopolitically vocal acts in the country. The ARIA and J Award-nominated record also introduced singer Jane Tyrrell to The Herd, who, after featuring on the album and performing with them on the opening shows of the tour, was asked to join the band over the phone as they went on stage for their triple j Live at the Wireless show in Newcastle. 

The Sun Never Sets led to one of the most iconic Like A Versions in triple j history, with The Herd’s cover of Redgum’s ‘I Was Only 19’. The track featured on the album’s re-issue, was certified ARIA Gold, and landed at #18 both in 2005’s triple j Hottest 100 and 2023’s Hottest 100 of Like A Versions - the only song polled from that decade, and a testament to its enduring impact. 

With an unconventional but incredibly compelling set-up of rappers, singers, guitars, laptops, samplers bass, and piano accordion, The Herd were swiftly cemented as one of Australia’s most exciting live bands. Their popularity was heightened with appearances at Australia’s biggest festivals, including Big Day Out, Splendour In The Grass, Falls Festival, Homebake, Groovin The Moo, Parklife, and many more. 

An extension of the project’s impact, the core members of The Herd established and ran Elefant Traks, one of Australia’s most respected independent labels, for 25 years before its closure in 2024. Alongside their labelmates, The Herd joined a sold out send-off tour to celebrate the label’s legacy, with performances at Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Recital Centre, and Brisbane’s The Tivoli.

Reflecting on 20 years of The Sun Never Sets, The Herd member and founder of Elefant Traks, Kenny Sabir aka Traksewt, says it was the album that changed everything for the group. “It was the first time we broke through to festivals, which wasn’t easy for a hip hop band on an independent label back then. It came out in the shadow of the Cronulla riots, when flag-draped racism was on the rise, and we were pushing back with tracks like ‘National Holiday’. We were still deep in experimentation mode too, making the MCs rap in odd time signatures and seeing how far we could stretch things. Judging by the awkward crowd dancing, we definitely found the limit. 

We were lucky to be part of one of the first Like A Version sessions with ‘I Was Only 19’. That song always hit me as a kid, and reimagining it gave the album an extra life. We’re so excited to be celebrating this record on the special 20th anniversary tour and blast the jumpable crowd with faves like ‘Unpredictable’, ‘Under Pressure' and ‘We Can’t Hear You’, alongside some deeper album cuts.”