The Hu / Prospect Building / Bristol
A long trip south west down the M5 to one of my favourite venues – The Prospect Building in Bristol for a night I was not going to miss for anything. The Hu became an internet sensation in 2018 with the release of videos for Yuve Yuve Yu and Wolf Totem on YouTube and since have gone from strength to strength.
But first up on stage in support are a band I’ve wanted to catch live for some time – Skáld.
Skáld are a French Nordic folk group formed in 2018. Their songs bear a heavy Norse influence, making use of traditional instruments and the themes centred around Scandinavian culture, mythology sung in Old Norse. They released their debut album “Vikings Chant” in 2019. Teir forth and most recent release “Ørlǫg” came out this year.
Obviously a band like Skáld are going to draw immediate comparisons to artists such as Heilung and Wardruna with their reliance on pounding rhythmic drums and an assortment of traditional instruments including fiddles, harps, horns and a bouzouki.
The stage is darkly lit, with spots highlighting the musicians. Three on drums. Centre stage is a frame carrying two drums aloft alongside two floor standing drums commanded by Marti Ilmar Uibo. Marti is mesmerising as he plays the drums and sings, his arms sweeping up, hitting the high drums before crashing down on the floor set too.
Sat quietly to the side is Christophe Voisin-Boisvinet with a single drum, whist centre stage stands Marie Potosniak on the fiddle and vocals. Perhaps what sets Skáld apart from other Nordic folk/pagan artists is their interaction with the crowd, setting the scene which helps the listening experience.
Despite the large stage at the Prospect Building, Skáld deliver an intimate performance. This is perhaps another major difference. I mean absolutely no disrespect to the likes of Heilung, seeing them live for the first time at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester was the closest I’ve had to a spiritual experience of any kind, but the set up is vast. A stage filled with musicians and dancers, you are immersed in another, simpler world, in rituals and ceremonies and it hits hard…. Emotionally.
Skáld hit hard in a different way. With a small group, and three drummers, they create something equally powerful, but intimate. Speaking to another concert goer between sets he described it as visceral and primitive. And it is exactly that – it’s raw, emotional and expremely powerful. Whereas Heilung is a great pagan ceremony, Skáld is homely, the village gathering around the open fire, listening to stories of the gods and ancients. I loved the way the music enveloped you and somehow made you feel a part of something…. something beautiful.
Skáld were every bit as good as I hoped they would be, and are true headliners in their own right. Standout tracks for me included Draumakona with it’s lyre-like melody running throughout and chanted chorus vocals. The epitome of a storytelling song. Elsewhere, Ó Valhalla hits hard. It’s slow rhythmic chants and deep rich drums drive it forwards. I’m not sure if it’s a lament for the fallen, or a tale of whats to come for the brave in the next life, but the lyrics paint a vivid picture with lines such as (translated) ‘The hall, I know, stands. Nicer than the Sun, better than gold. Faithful men will settle there, and live in bliss for eternity’.
My favourite had to be Yggdrasill from 2019’s “Viking Chants” where Marie’s vocals really shine about the holy ash tree Yggr's horse, standing by the well of Fate. It has a dark, powerful energy to it, delivered perfectly by Marie.
Skáld do a wonderful version of Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes, but they didn’t play it live in Bristol. I’m actually glad they didn’t, because it would change the feel of the show completely. Adding something modern and familiar would detract from the spiritual nature of the experience.
Were Skáld worth the wait ? Oh boy, you better believe it. Intense, powerful and emotional in equal measure. A great experience.
Setlist
Ek Skal Rida
Myrkvidr
Ó Valhalla
Hross
Draumakona
Grotti
Himinbjorg
Yggdrasill
Ljosalfur
The stage is prepared for The Hu and the packed Prospect Building is buzzing after such a fantastic introduction to the night.
Formed in 2016 in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Hu (Mongolian for Human Beings) incorporate traditional instruments, including the morin khuur (a two stringed instrument somewhere between fiddle and guitar), the tovshuur (like a mandolin), traditional drums and throat singing.
They call their sound “hunnu rock", a term inspired by the ancient Xiongnu nomadic empire, known as Hünnü in Mongolian. Their music draws on Mongolian tradition and history, incorporating war cries and poetry and their proud tradition as horsemen riding the steppes with hunting eagles.
The Hu rose to international attention in 2018 with the release of two videos on YouTube for the tracks Yuve Yuve Yu and Wolf Totem. Indeed, in 2019 Wolf Totem reached #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Song Sales, making the Hu the first Mongolian musical act to top a Billboard chart !
Their debut album “The Gereg” came out in 2019, followed by 2022’s “Rumble of Thunder”. Their latest album “Hun” came out this year.
The lights dip and the intro begins. In contrast to Skáld, the stage has a modern design, with a long video wall along the back under the drums, big screen at the back and light panels stretching forwards across the ceiling. However, the modern panels combine to create a vibrant and dynamic backdrop for the set. Patterns move across, like clouds or mist on the Steppe, creating the illusion of a bright sky above the performers.
Dressed in traditional garb then take to the stage to huge cheers as Jaya shouts ‘Are you ready Bristol’? They start the set with Lost Soul from the new album “Hun”. Indeed much of the set comes from the latest album. What strikes you immediately about Lost Souls is how heavy it is. It delivers a fusion of the traditional with the modern into what should be a metal classic. Guitars and morin khuur combine effortlessly and clean vocals sit neatly alongside some Mongolian throat singing.
The feel changes with the next track, Horsemen also from the new album, which delivers a much more traditional vibe, befitting the tribal warlike nature of the song. A war cry if ever there was one in metal form ‘Beat the great war drum loudly, kindle the courage within. Dominating and uniting, let us conquer and gather, all those who do not comply, all those who rise up in defiance. May Father Sky's will decree, Their demise at the blade's edge, Without mercy’.
It seems to gallop out at us, and it’s rousing, it’s fierce and powerful and gets the blood pumping !
I loved Echoes of My Father also from “Hun” which slowed the pace down to something akin a campfire ballad. It’s deep and dark, and the throat singing elements drift out across the vast hall. It’s a mesmerising lament for a lost father, a tale of a life well lived and lessons learnt: ‘Father, you used to speak without words. You used to sit quietly, gazing into the distance. You used to think so that I would understand how hard life can be. You knew I would experience much in the times to come’. The sold out crowd stood and listened intently.
It’s only late in the set that we sway away from the new album to those hits that sparked a worldwide interest in The Hu, Yuve Yuve Yu and Wolf Totem, where the morin khuur and tovshuur take centre stage. Tribal beats and strings ring out delivering anthems worthy of any arena setting. The crowd are moving as one to the beat, fists and horns in the air.
This is Mongol is a powerful rallying call ‘let’s all rise to the brethren code’ which has feet stampin’ and fists pumping. The Hu are well known for their covers of some of metlas classics, especially Matallica’s Sad But True which they released in 2022. Tonight they end the show with a British metal staple, none other than Iron Maiden’s classic The Trooper ! The guitars are replaced by morin khuur and tovshuur and the lyrics are sung in Mongolian. It’s a fantastic way to close the night – it’s familiar and popular with the crowd who chant along to the chorus sections, and yet, ‘translated’ into a Mongolian themed version, it delivers, in a very different way. Everyone shouts and cheers as The Hu take their bows and leave the stage.
Two very different artists from different sides of the world, and yet somehow, they feel similar – partners almost. An incredible, powerful, and emotional experience, that shows that metal truly is a worldwide force.
Setlist
Lost Soul
Horsemen
The Same
Upright Destined Mongol
The Men
Shadow
Warrior Chant
Echoes of My Father
Grey Hun
The Real You
Black Thunder
Yuve Yuve Yu
Wolf Totem
This Is Mongol
The Trooper (Iron Maiden cover)
