It was seven years since we last saw THE HUNNA, it was at Powderham Castle when the BBC ‘One Big Weekend’ rolled into town. I had approached a contact in the BBC Introducing team and she had Kindly put me in touch with the team who were dealing with press enquiries for the event and after a couple of weeks and numerous emails to and fro (and a bit of begging), I managed to get a photographer into the main pits to capture the action over the two day event.
We chatted to THE HUNNA ahead of the event and reading the interview back, I was impressed at the confidence that they exuded at the time, here was a band who had not been going very long, had managed to secure a slot on the BBC intro stage at a ‘One Big Weekend’ event and were committed to proving to anyone in the audience that they meant business.
Seven years on and we are invited to attend their Torquay show at The Foundry to join them in proving that their four albums (the fifth is underway) have gained them a dedicated fanbase who have helped to promote the band to much larger stages including Reading & Leeds festival where they have played in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
Whilst I am familiar with the heavy hitting tracks from their back catalogue, I am a little unsighted on their newer material, especially thatl from their self-titled fourth long player which was the reason they were here tonight at the heart of the English Riviera (do they still refer to it as this?)
We arrived just after 7:30pm, checked in and was surprised to see that the first act BAND OF SILVER were already a few songs into their set, the socials Said it was an 8pm start but owing to a second support band being added, they had to kick off a bit earlier to ensure that they could end by the imposed curfew of 10:30pm! I found out during their set that BAND OF SILVER are a trio hailing from Nashville but their sound couldn’t be further from the expected Country style associated with the city, instead, they put on a show that was chock full of addictive, stadium sized, anthemic indie, alt-rock fused with new-wave and pop bangers that wouldn’t have been out of place in a much larger arena, let alone a medium sized venue in the heart of Torquay! If you want more, head to Spotify to enjoy their recently released four track Mission Critical EP which is well worth checking out.
Next to grace the stage was a Brighton duo called SICK JOY who injected their ‘noise-pop’ into the heads of everyone in the room. It’s far too easy to liken them to other famous duo’s (The White Stripes, Royal Blood, Chas n Dave?) so I won’t, I WILL say that despite there only being two people on stage, they sounded like a full band, I guess this was because of some voodoo, witchcraft trickery going on in the many pedals that rested at the feet of the guitarist/vocalist that was set to overdrive throughout their set.
Their sound echoed classic acts such as Pixies and Nirvana but with their own twist on them, not once throughout the set did I think that they were out to rip anybody off and for this the audience welcomed their art and provided them a warm reception.
Playing tracks from their 3 2023 released singles and their debut album ‘WE’RE ALL GONNA F***ING DIE’ which landed in 2022, their set was full of raw energy and the momentum did not let up for one moment. Whilst the lighting could have been a little better (they were not very well lit onstage), the sound more than made up for this and I for one have added them to my list of current faves on Spotify, I strongly suggest that you follow suit!
After a clear out of gear, the stage was prepped and set for THE HUNNA to come and do what they do best, blow the room apart and this is exactly what they did….
From the get go, it was clear that they were here to put on a show and this they did for just under 90 minutes, showcasing tracks both new and old from their arsenal of four studio albums which resonated with the room, made up of teens to twenties and a few in their early 50’s (ahem…)
Opening the show with ‘We Could Be’ lifted from their debut album ‘100’ saw the front row singing along in unison before they threw in a few from their latest self-titled album (‘Fugazi’, ‘Circles’, ‘Sold my Soul’) which were well received, but maybe not as well as the bangers which appeared later in the set.
After the first few songs, Ryan removed his shirt and played the rest of the show stripped to the waist, I thought I’d follow his lead and was asked to ‘have a word’ or be escorted from the balcony, I admitted defeat and slid back into my T-Shirt for the remainder of the night (it was worth a go!)
Poignant moments for me from their set included a spine tingling version of ‘Lover’ which Ryan sang solo whilst the band popped out for a quick kebab from the takeaway next door, but I think the highlights of the night came in the form of the last three songs, ‘She’s Casual’, ‘Bonfire’ and ‘Dare’ which saw circle pits, moshing and general mayhem in the crowd. Dan took to the pit for one song and whilst the audience parted the ways for him, as soon as the song kicked in, he was engulfed in fans and had to be escorted back to the stage to carry on the song!
They were coaxed back on stage by an adoring audience who wanted one more song and the band were keen to deliver, taking to the stage once again for a tremendous version of ‘Trash’ lifted from their latest album which went down a storm and cemented the fact that THE HUNNA are destined for bigger things, expect to see them gracing the main stages at festivals throughout the UK and Europe in 2024.
Words and Pictures - Steve Muscutt & George Muscutt
