The HU
The HU are a band from Mongolia that blend hard rock and traditional Mongolian throat singing. Their first two videos Yuve Yuve Yu and Wolf Totem immediately went viral garnering the band over 30 million views. The explosive reaction to The HU resulted in enthusiastic coverage from media all over the world. Together they create rock music with traditional Mongolian instrumentation such as the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle), Tovshuur (Mongolian guitar), Tumur Khuur (jaw harp), guttural throat singing built around the pillars of heavy rock: distorted guitars, bombastic drums, and aggressive rhythms. The band answer some questions for Hi Fi Way ahead of Download Festival in Australia and sideshows.
Are you looking forward to your first Australian tour?
Absolutely! We are very excited to perform in Australia because we love Australia and its beautiful landscape. Most importantly we can’t wait to see our loyal Australian fans who have been supporting us from day one.
Do you enjoy playing festivals particularly big festivals such as Download Festival?
We are honoured and humbled to be performing at big festivals such as Download, Hellfest, Aftershock, Lollapalooza and Coachella. We treat every show as if it’s the most important gig of our lives. Every fan’s dedication to come to our shows to support us is priceless.
Do you have a preference whether you prefer to play a club or a big festival?
Every show is important to us. It’s an amazing feeling to perform on big festival stages but smaller headlined shows tend to have very special intimate connections.
What are you looking forward to experiencing in Australia?
We are mostly looking forward to seeing our awesome Austrlian fans!
Have you been blown away by the success of The Gereg?
We expected some kind of success because we worked so hard to make the album and our music videos, but the support has exceeded all of our expectations. We’re very honoured and humbled by the reactions of the people all around the world.
Was it a challenging album to make?
Yes, it was quite a challenge because we were looking for a sound that didn’t exist. There were times we needed to record a song three times over enrich the sound further. We are very pleased with the outcome.
How did your culture and history influence your lyrics?
The inspiration behind our lyrics are from Mongolian history and culture. Some of our songs contain old Mongolian rock inscriptions and war cries. Our message to the world via our music is reminding the importance of showing gratitude to your parents, loving your homeland, protecting the nature, loving and respecting women, respecting your country history and ancestors, and finally giving individuals an inner power and belief for their future.
How was it working with Jacoby Shaddix?
Jacoby is a rock legend who we grew up listening to. Paparoach and The HU are on the same label with Better Noise Music formerly known as E7M so we were able to connect and initiate our collaboration. Jacoby is a true professional and a genuinely nice guys so it was very easy to work with him.
Have you had a chance to start writing new songs between tour dates?
Yes, we have been working on the next album concept and ideas in the time between touring and even during the tour. We have been playing a few songs from our next album during our live shows.
Do you think The HU live sound will change much on the next album?
Our songs will be new but the sound and the heart of our message will remain the same.
Do the songs connect together to tell a story in the live show?
Yes, all of our songs tell the story of our ancestors and through the songs we try to paint a picture and aid our listeners to visualise the true message.
Interview By Rob Lyon
Catch The Hu at the following Download sideshows, tickets from Live Nation…
And Download Festival…
