THE HUNNA: HULL, UK
The Hunna
at The Welly Club in Hull, UK
words by Amber Nielsen
Photo Credit: Martyna Bannister
Cementing yourself as a staple indie-rock band whose music gets circulated in clubs for years, and still being able to produce record after record without losing a dedicated fan base is no issue for Watford trio, The Hunna. Gracing the sweaty stage of The Welly Club in Hull, the band put on a rockstar-level performance - leaving the crowd demanding more.
The band returns to Hull on their grassroots venue tour and they returned to a sweltering room. Even the lead singer walks on stage topless, joining the majority of the men in the crowd who are also shirtless.
With the classic indie playlist hits like ‘She’s Casual’ and ‘Bonfire’ making an appearance in the set, the band also switches the setlist up — eager to show the crowd their other hits that go unnoticed and underappreciated.
Taking the stage with ‘We Could Be’, the crowd jumps and starts instantly screaming the lyrics: “We could be on top,” back to the band who effortlessly mosh around the stage. The Hunna don’t lack stage presence and aim to show they aren’t a standard indie trio, but something definitely worth a second look at.
‘Fugazi’ - from their latest record titled The Hunna - stirs up a storm as the mosh pit forms, the Hull audience seems to be pros at this. People throw drinks as the atmosphere reaches a new high for the night. The energy felt by the crowd and band carries throughout the entire song and the rest of the set.
Songs such as ‘I Wanna Know’, ‘Circles’, and ‘Sold My Soul’ keep this overflowing energy up, the band and crowd cannot catch a break to catch their breath. The transitions are seamless as the band flow into each song with the lighting mirroring the vibe of each song. The usual Yorkshire chant appears, and The Hunna joins in and laughs. You can’t beat a full-fledged Yorkshire-born crowd.
As the pits become feral, to a level you’d see at a heavy metal show instead of an indie-rock show, the crowd hangs on every beat and word of the band as they captivate everyone in the room. The combination of pulling songs from their back catalogue and their new songs from their latest release sets this show apart. The Hunna could have done the hits and pleased casual fans but decided to impress and wow reluctant crowd members with their impressive track of songs.
Someone throws a T-shirt on stage, to which lead singer Ryan throws his guitar pic into the crowd in return. It lands perfectly in a happy man's hand. People climb on shoulders and belt along to ‘Babe Can I Call?’ Ryan notices these people swaying on people’s shoulders and sings to them: “Babe are you home,” with the lucky few enjoying a perfect moment.
Dialling it back and allowing a moment to breathe, The Hunna performs an acoustic version of ‘Lover’ that lets them show off their versatility individually and as a band.
The band requests for a pit during ‘Dare’ and Hull pulls through once again. Someone falls to the floor in the mosh and someone picks them up, a casual show of comradery between The Hunna fans. Echoes of applause are given to the band as they leave the stage ahead of the encore - ‘Trash’. One person on someone else’s shoulders screams: “All I want is fucking money, money, money,” to which again the band grins.
Ryan takes to the crowd and dives from the stage, carried like a god by the crowd as they return him to the stage for their final bows and cheers.
A stellar yet sweaty performance from The Hunna no doubt. They cement themselves as more than a ‘basic band’ who appear on Spotify’s best indie playlists. They’re a rock band who are determined to show people their raw talent and rock-ability.