Saturday night I had the privilege to make it out to Gramercy Theatre to see British band, The Hunna. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see their openers, Night Riots and The Shelters. But just seeing The Hunna’s set was well worth the experience.
The band, led by singer Ryan Potter, brought a whole other level of energy to the stage. The crowd was clearly full of fans–and from all walks of life. They were all quick to participate (which we all know is one of my favorite things at a live show), and there was plenty of encouraging back-and-forth between individuals and the band between songs. Gramercy certainly allows for these more intimate moments, and it was awesome to see the band not only receiving the love so proudly and openly, but giving it right back whole heartedly with their words and their music.
The Hunna’s set was full of catchy tunes off their debut album 100, from the well-known “You+Me” that’s been released in the US to “Piece by Piece” which was just fun, even if Potter hadn’t instructed us to dance and get crazy. “Coming Home” took a slight turn with its slowed down vocals, but the switch-up was well placed in the setlist. It also flowed right into a pretty epic jam session, and even listening to the track later on back home, I couldn’t help but jam along.
The highights of the night, however, had to be the two Hunna “originals,” or as Potter described them, two of the first songs the guys wrote as The Hunna. They are “Bonfire” and “She’s Casual,” which are also two of their most popular singles. “Bonfire” had a strong crowd reaction, but it was nothing compared to “She’s Casual.” It was like the crowd knew before the first note just what song was about to play, and they were beyond ready to help out, just as Potter anticipated. There was an inherent desire for people to sing along, carrying the melody themselves, and the claps to the beat came just as naturally, at just the right time. Experiencing that, I absolutely got a look into who The Hunna is and who their fans are. There was such a powerful connection, you can’t not admire a band for that.
Even when the show was over, I could tell how successful The Hunna already is. There were fans spilling out to go meet the band and gush about every song. It definitley brought back memories of some of my first concerts, and I think that only tells what kind of future The Hunna can look forward to. It’s safe to say they should prepare to stick around for a while.
Filed under: Reviews Tagged: gramercy theatre, music creates us, new music, show review, the hunna, you+me