Words & Photography: Ollie Hopewell
The Sugarmill first opened its doors to The Hunna as they kicked off the UK leg of their Me & You Tour back on 23rd May 2016, and while plenty has changed in the nearly ten years since, it’s safe to say that love between Stoke-on-Trent and the Watford-based band has only grown stronger in their absence. Coincidentally, their return marked the end of my own absence from Stoke’s home of Indie and Alternative music, as I jumped at the chance to see how far the band had come in the years since their Potteries debut.
On the theme of debuts, it was Scottish duo KuleeAngee who kickstarted the night’s proceedings on their debut tour, and, I don’t say this lightly, I think they were possibly the best support act I’ve seen in a very long time; in the band’s own words, they are “here for an iconic time” and iconic is an understatement given the way the two swaggered effortlessly about the stage while producing some of the tightest disco-funk I have ever had the pleasure to witness. Take all the panache of the Scissor Sisters, the groovy beats of Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz, the feel-good factor of Jungle, and wrap it all up in the immaculate vibes of an early Primal Scream and you’ve got KuleeAngee in a nutshell.
The way Kesh Kanabar and Duncan Grant share almost everything on stage only feeds into the idea that this is two lads who have perfectly translated writing tunes with your best mate in a bedroom into a live performance, with the duo’s vocal styles perfectly counter balancing each other while they strut about the stage as if nothing in the world could stop them. Their debut track Animated Love, which is out 6th November, made me think of industry contemporaries YAANG and Lil Kleine’s club hit Drank & Drugs, though this time it’s a brilliant Scottish brogue rather than Dutch rapping. The pair ended on Pretty Love, and we can expect an EP out sometime early next year. I, for one, cannot wait to be there for this group’s future endeavours.
Second to the stage were Denver County Council, a band who have been gigging for just over a year following their live debut in Manchester back in late September of 2023. Having recently played NBHD Festival at the start of October, the Manchester 5-piece continued their excellent form on the evening with my personal highlights being Mad Love and Brother, the latter of which is coming out in late November and was performed on the night with frontmen Luke Denvers and The Hunna’s Ryan Potter, though it was Denver County Council’s frontman who’s denim-clad appearance would put all but the hardiest cowboys to shame.
It wasn’t just Denver’s outfit and the embroidered denim jackets on sale at the merch stand that evoked feelings of lonesome cowpokes either, as the mixture of dry and soulful riffs from guitarists Ryan Cormac and Jake Chatts blended beautifully with Denvers’ sombre often longing lyrics. This was supported by the strong and steady rhythms of bassist Josh Leach and drummer George Stead, all of which culminated in a sound reminiscent of industry stalwarts Blue Öyster Cult and the earlier works of The Killers with notes of their contemporaries in The 1975.
What was immediately apparent on the night was that the crowd’s nervous energy preceding The Hunna’s first appearance had been replaced by a confident anticipation of their second, the pressure being off as lively showmanship and a massive sound was all but guaranteed from the headline act. The lights dim and dramatic music rises while smoke fills the stage. Then, to thunderous applause, The Hunna enter stage right before catapulting into Take A Ride from their 2022 self-titled album.
And just like that, we have lift off as the crowd goes from gentle swaying and head nodding to a riotous display of movement and energy; in this moment, the eight-year hiatus has melted away and the Watford trio are back to fan favourites. Frontman Ryan Potter takes no time at all to express his gratitude to the audience and to show his humility has only grown, fondly reminiscing of the band’s first appearance at The ‘Mill all those years ago and how much they’ve grown since then.
Despite this growth, it was still a guarantee that frontman Potter was going to put on one hell of a show while Dan Dorney stayed cool and controlled on guitar delivering those melodic and streaming riffs we’ve been craving for far too long. This level of performance was only elevated by drummer Jack Metcalf smashing his kit, creating an impenetrable wall of sound that vibrated from your head down to your stomach. This was especially pertinent for Apologies, I Wanna Know, and Can’t Break What’s Broken, the latter two tracks whipping everyone into a raucous frenzied state of dance with mosh pit to boot, though we were also treated to the gentle sounds of Babe, Can I Call? and fan favourite She’s Casual.
I was surprised by how much heavier The Hunna are in person, with the band more closely resembling the likes of contemporaries Boston Manor or Dead Poet Society rather than the indie-rock vibe akin to the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen or Viola Beach, but this change comes at a time where the band have ditched their record label to create the sound that they want free from the limits of corporate demands, and that’s what this tour is in essence; a huge middle finger to the industry which has done so many dirty, a proof of concept that The Hunna are back with vengeance and have the support to do it on their own. This new outlook on the industry was epitomised with closing tracks of Bonfire and Trash, songs which raised a poignant point about the industry with killer riffs in hand.
© Ollie Hopewell 2024