I Just Read About That…

[ATTENDED: September 14, 2021] The HU

The HU are from Mongolia. I saw them in this same venue two years ago.  They haven’t released much in those intervening years, but I enjoyed the first show so much I wanted to see them again (plus, I was pretty delighted that they were back touring the States). on the left side in front of Temuulen Naranbaatar a.k.a. “Temka” who plays the tovshuur (a two or three string lute-like instrument).

But I knew I wanted to be on the other side for this show.  And so I set out to stand in front of Enkhasaikhan Batjargal a.k.a. “Enkush” who played lead morin khuur.  This was pretty exciting as I really got to watch him play the solos.

The two guys in the middle are the main singers.  Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar a.k.a. “Gala” is credited with “lead throat singing,” which I love.  His voice was incredible.  He also played the morin khuur with a gorgeously carved horse head at the top.  This instrument is two-stringed and you play it with a bow.

And Nyamjantsan Galsanjamts a.k.a. “Jaya” who was sort of the lead singer, although Gala sang lead as often.  Jaya’s main instrument was, fascinatingly, the jaw harp which played a significant role in several songs.  He also played the tsuur (a Mongolian flute).

There are technically four guys in the band, but for the tour they had four extra guys supporting them.  The touring guys mostly hung at the back, although occasionally the guitarist Jambaldorj Ayush a.k.a “Jamba” would come up front.   In the back on the left was Batkhuu Batbayar on bass.  Then there were the two drummers.  Sitting at the full kit was Odbayar Gantumur a.k.a “Odko.”  The final player, and one I could see occasionally was Unumunkh Maralkhuu a.k.a “Ono.”  Ono played two large drums.  Mostly they were an accompaniment to the main drum, but occasionally they were the only percussion.  Those drums resonated loudly.

The band fed of the crowd’s energy and really worked at hyping us up.  They did this last time as well, but I’m assuming a year of touring has gotten them even more familiar with stage antics (not so much banter, though, as they only speak Mongolian–aside from a few “thank you Phillys”).

What’s fascinating is that the setlist was essentially the same as last time.  The difference was that they added in some newer songs and removed some older ones, but otherwise, the songs were played in the same basic order.  But like last time, they opened with “Shoog Shoog” a wonderful stomping statement of purpose that shows you exactly what you’ll get from The HU.

Enkush sang lead vocals on “The Gereg” and I enjoyed watching Jaya because even if he’s not singing lead, he still keeps himself very busy.

New songs were “Huhchu Zairan,” “Mother Nature,” “Shihi Hutu,” and “Tatar Warrior.”

This last song was especially heavy and if it indicates the direction they are moving in, I am definitely in favor. At the same time, there were some really fun dancey moments, like the really bouncy “Bii Biyley.”  There also the folky “Mother Swan.”

I also loved hearing the tsuur intro on “Shireg Shireg.”  One of the new songs even had a kind of sing along chant which was really fun.

But for me the coolest part was watching Enkush solo.  Seeing him do that up close was a major highlight.

The HU appeared on the new Metallica Black album covers collection playing the rather obscure “Through the Never.”  I had forgotten that they created a cover of “Sad But True” back in 2020.  And I gotta say I was really excited that they chose to play “Sad” rather that “Never” as the encore.  Especially since they sing the song in Mongolian (which is pretty awesome) and “Sad” is far more recognizable.  I noticed that Jamba was playing the lead guitar riff on the guitar (which made it sound a but more like the original), but Enkush played the wild solo on the morin khuur.

I really enjoyed seeing them a second time.

ALBUM ♥