Tuesday, May 2, took me to iconic Camden venue The Roundhouse for some crazy gig antics from The Hunna. Walking into the venue, we were welcomed by newcomer Kovic who had already kick started the high energy. Indie band Coasts followed creating a wave of excitement among fans in the audience.
I won’t delve into the support acts too much as there is a post to come in the following weeks from Coasts headline show in June, but what I will say is that they complimented the headliners to perfection.
A combination of it all, indie-pop rockers The Hunna opened their gig with “Never Enough” the tame(ish) start gently easing the crowd into what could only be anticipated as a wild event. Singing back to vocalist Ryan Potter, “I keep falling in love, I keep falling in love, it’s never enough” as the already warmed up crowd began bouncing around with their arms flailing about in all directions with excitement.
This buzz did not falter at any point, clapping, yelling and floor shaking moves took us all the way through the first half with “We Could Be”, “Still Got Blood” and “You And Me”.
Following the interlude, they performed “World Is Ours”, a slower tempo track which was then followed by “Piece By Piece”, another signature tune with that funky guitar rhythm driving the track forward. It showcased Potter’s incredible vocal ability, with a little falsetto in the mix, it was a faultless singing performance and this did not alter throughout the whole 75 minutes.
The crowd were then given a break from the continuous head moving and body jolting as they performed the gentler “Sycamore Tree”. This prompted 21st century reactions to a ballad as iPhone torches created a sea of white sparkles throughout the whole venue.
“From NYC To LA” was their newest track, where they took the opportunity to announce they have been writing and recording in preparation for their next album. Still keeping that anthemic stadium sound it had that heavy fulfilling indie pop vibe that their first LP had given.
From new to known, their memorable release “She’s Casual” was next, Ryan requested everyone to find a partner, crazy drummer Jack hitting the snare every time someone had clambered on top of their mates shoulders. This tune has one of the best build ups, as it starts slow with a simple plucking guitar which escalated into a chant worthy chorus as the percussion burst in “She’s Casual, she likes it, mine and she knows it” being belted out from all areas of the room.
After a short blackout in preparation for the four song encore, their next hit “Bonfire” stole the show, the undeniably catchy pop tune pulsing with energy, and when the fiery chorus hit, the pyrotechnics blasted from the canons the audience gasping with excitement as the heat rippled through the crowd. This continued through “Coming Home” and “Bad For You”.
“Rock My Way” closed the show, the crowd not tiring at any point from all the craziness. They really knew how to finish the show with a literal bang, lead guitarist Dan Dorney, smashing up his Fender in true rock and roll form, the crowd scrabbling to get a piece of their clothing as they stripped their tops and through them out into the sea of gig-goers. Their whole performance was selfless; everything thought out to give their fans the best live experience with a true connection.
I’m surprised the show wasn’t a sell out because those who weren’t there missed out on an epic night. What was nice was the true love and gratefulness the four piece felt towards their ‘squadrons’. Singing Happy Birthday to a family member and thanking one stand out fan that had flown all the way from Japan, guiding her backstage at the end to meet her idols.
Never mind “100”, these guys put nothing but 110% into their 14-song strong set which finished with a classic stage dive from Ryan himself. With the personalities, stage presence and addictive energy to fill an arena, there is no doubt we can see a random mosh appearing in the standing crowds at the O2 in future shows to come. It was just truly electrifying.
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Words by Jodie Brunning
