LIVE REVIEW + PHOTOS: THE HU AT UEA, NORWICH 11/10/26
Visiting the legendary UEA in Norwich tonight, to witness The HU rounding off their UK leg of their Warrior Chant Tour. Being brought along for the ride are SKÁLD, making sure that tonight is more throat singing and traditional instruments than what Norwich is normally used to.
It is a pairing that makes complete sense, building their music around cultural traditions, but with enough differences between them to split the night up nicely. First up, SKÁLD, a band that despite their look, sound and everything about them are in fact French. You would be forgiven for not knowing that though as I only found this out whilst researching them further. Their music pulls heavy inspiration from Norse Mythology with a vast majority of their singing in Old Norse. Knowing that information then taking into account the voice and percussion aspect of their performance, It is easy to understand why they were picked for this support slot on the tour.
The contrast between the higher, clearer vocal delivery and the under tones that are a fair bit rougher is absolute perfection, this tied in with rhythmic drums that provide a solid foundation just help build momentum constantly. It is definitely music that rewards the more patient listener, with just a change in vocal style often shifting the mood of the song.
What makes SKÁLD such a good fit is the physical weight of their music. There is plenty here for a heavy music audience to get into, even though it comes through a different combination of instruments. Their melodies are worth paying attention to as well, giving the set something to hold on to beyond the force of the percussion. A strong opening act, and one deserving of a proper listen after the show.
The HU are a band that really brought a completely new genre alive, a band that I have had the absolute pleasure of witnessing a few times now and they always deliver above what is expected of them.
As the lights dim they used System Of A Down’s ‘Toxicity’ as an entrance song. This already got the crowd singing along. When they took to the stage, they opened with ‘Lost Soul’, transitioning flawlessly in to ‘Horsemen’. Both of these songs making it pretty clear to the crowd what the intentions of the night were.
The vast majority of tonight’s set was taken up by songs from their most recent album Hun, that is a given, however they still left room for the songs that first garnered a lot of traction for them. ‘The Same’ and ‘Upright Destined Mongol’ followed up, bringing some familiar sounds from their earlier albums.
The throat singing was always going to attract a huge amount of attention, and that is completely understandable. The low resonant voices are a massive part of The HU’s identity, but every thing else happening on stage is also a worth while watch. Horsehead Fiddles that have a rough sound that is impeccable. Following each of these separate sounds through the arrangements just added to the enjoyment of the night.
With the sheer amount of things going on at any one time you would think that it would feel over crowded or messy, but The HU have dialed it in perfectly, giving parts of the arrangement’s time to fully settle in before adding to it. The repetition of parts, is what gives the music clarity, especially once the percussion gets involved. For the vast amount of the time, you do not need to know the words to understand why the UEA is pretty much sold out tonight.
‘The Men’ and ‘Shadow’ lead into ‘Warrior Chant’, continuing a substantial stretch of the newer material. There is a lot of power packed into this part of the set, so ‘Echoes of My Father’ provided a welcome change of mood. Giving the music a little more room at that point made the return to the heavier passages feel worthwhile, with ‘Grey Hun’ and ‘The Real You’ taking things forward.
Coming towards the end of the nights entertainment, the set list really came into its own. ‘Black Thunder’ is followed by ‘Yuve Yuve Yu’ and ‘Wolf Totem’. This pairing of songs is definitely intentional, they are the two that 90% of people would have been introduced to The HU with. They are firm reminders of the appeal of their music, the groove and vocal hooks make for easy listening. They do not need any dressing up to make an impression.
The main set was closed out by ‘This Is Mongol’ another song that has just an incredible almost tribal beat to it. The treat of the evening though, The HU returning to the stage for their own version of Iron Maiden’s ‘The Trooper’ I can safely say I did not expect that to be included on the set. However, the familiar rhythm of the song is a natural fit for The HU’s style. Just this time with a completely different sound with the vocals and instrumentation. It is definitely a fun choice, and it shows that they are very comfortable applying their genre to a mainstay song of metal history.
This line up in Norwich tonight was extremely strong, with Skald offering plenty of reasons to arrive early, ( and that they did ), then The HU having enough confidence in their most recent album to have that take up the main proportion of the set. Only adding the favourites in towards the end, songs that still have a considerable drawer, however the set shows that there is far more to this band than just the old time favourites.
Words and photos by Tom Atkin.