Contemporary folk band Juniper are set to play at Audlem Public Hall on Sunday 31 May as part of their 2026 Halfway Home tour, celebrating the release of the group’s new studio album.
Formed in Birmingham around 2019 while studying music together, the six-piece band describe their sound as a blend of “orchestral Celtic & contemporary folk” that is “genre-bending, energising, mesmerising, and boundary-crossing.” Although now based in Birmingham, each member grew up in different parts of the UK, and the Halfway Home tour takes them back to the towns that shaped them — including stops across Cheshire, Shropshire, Sussex, Herefordshire and Wales.
The tour is inspired by the idea of balancing rural roots with life in a modern city. Reflecting on their time travelling and performing, the band explain:
“We spend a lot of time on the road, away from friends, family, and the places we know. Each night we find new friends, new memories, and make a new home. No matter how far you've travelled or how long you've been away — you're always halfway home.”
Flautist Emily Hicks says the tour feels particularly meaningful:
“It feels really special to be launching this album at all the venues where we found inspiration as players.”
The album’s title track Halfway Home captures the spirit of travel and return, drawing inspiration from touring through the changing landscapes of the British countryside. Other tracks reflect the band’s personal journeys between rural upbringing and urban life, including a cover of John Hartford’s Tall Buildings, which vocalist Harry Thorpe says mirrors his own move from agricultural Suffolk to city living in Birmingham.
The album also celebrates places and shared experiences important to the band, with tunes such as Hare & House and The Junction paying tribute to well-known Birmingham music venues, while A Brace of Yari affectionately honours two well-travelled 2003 Toyota Yarises that have carried the band across the country to gigs and back home again.
Juniper will be joined by support act Wet The Tea, a three-piece folk ensemble known for original compositions that blend Irish and English folk with contemporary roots, bluegrass and Americana influences. Their multi-instrumental sound features flute, whistle, guitar, piano, bouzouki, fiddle, cello, mandolin, bodhrán and vocals.
The connection between the two groups runs deep. Wet The Tea’s fiddler Clare “Fluff” Smith taught Juniper violinist Anna from the age of seven, making the Audlem performance a special full-circle moment as student and teacher share the stage in the town where Anna first developed her musical roots. The bands have also performed together at festivals over the years, forming a close friendship that reflects the tour’s wider theme of belonging and community.
Juniper’s album launch takes place at Nortons in Digbeth, Birmingham on 14 May, before the tour travels through each member’s home region — including Audlem as one of its early stops.
The Audlem concert begins at 3pm with tickets available now via the band’s website.