The Hu

Five years ago, if you had said that a Mongolian throat singing band would be a huge up-and-coming metal band, no one would have believed you. It was just not on anyone’s bingo card! Since they opened for Halestorm in 2019 at ArtPark (QRO photos), The Hu showed up on every metalhead’s radar big time! They’ve been touring non-stop since then, putting some incredible miles on both buses and planes, as they’ve toured globally. They also released Rumble of Thunder, the follow-up to their first studio album The Gereg. In the midst of supporting Iron Maiden on their current tour, they’ve somehow found the time to do some headlining shows of their own! On a chilly Thursday Halloween night, they stopped by Electric City in Buffalo for one of those headlining shows.

The crowd was aptly dressed for Halloween, making you wonder who was a performer and who was a fan! Opening on The Hu’s headlining shows was hardcore band The Funeral Portrait from Atlanta. In checking out their discography, with titles like A Moment of Silence, Sounds From Beyond the Abyss, and their latest album Greetings From Suffocate City, it seemed like they’d be the perfect band for a Halloween night. They sure did not disappoint! With the whole band in face paint, they started the show with a bang! The high energy of their performance only grew as their set progressed, they played a really fun set, albeit with dark themes. They definitely gained some fans this night.

When the Hu took the stage with their eight piece band, there was barely any room for the band members to move around! They kicked off their set with “Gereg”, the title track off their debut album. It’s interesting that while there were some songs conducive to head-banging, some songs with strong beats made you want to dance. Odd for a metal band. There wasn’t much chatter in between songs, because the band members speak very little English. But they let their music speak for themselves. Many bands who don’t sing in English have fanbases that speak the band’s native tongue. The Hu seems to have transcended any racial or language barriers because the audience at Electric City that night were neither Asian nor spoke Mongolian. They were there because, somehow, this group of Mongolian throat singers have become one of their favorite bands!

The fifteen song set was shorter than expected and missed out on favorites like “Song of Women”, although it may not have been the same without Lizzy Hale. That being said, hits “Yu Ve Yu Ve” and “Wolf Totem” have the venue rocking!! Ever hear a crowd screaming “Hu, Hu, Hu!”? Well, now you have. They definitely left the crowd wanting more and, hopefully, that will come in the form of new music!