By Simona Mihalca 
June 26th was a big day for Mongolian Folk Metal in Bucharest: The HU are finally playing in Bucharest! With a temperature of about 38 degrees Celsius, by the time I got to Arenele Romane, I was less a music journalist and more a rapidly melting popsicle with a press pass. But despite the oppressive heat, a palpable buzz of anticipation filled the ancient amphitheatre. After all, The Hu was in town, ready to unleash their unique brand of “Hunnu Rock”
First up was the delightful surprise of Sur Austru. The show was a feast for the fans, seeing the triumphant return of Ștefan “Buvnitz” Zaharescu on vocals! Buvnitz, a legendary figure in the Romanian underground, delivered a powerful show. You never would have guessed he had 6 hours to learn 7 songs, 3 hours of rehearsals. He got some help from a table for the lyrics, but the show definitely went on.
Sur Austru’s set was a masterclass in atmospheric black metal infused with traditional Romanian melodies, and with Buvnitz back at the helm, they sounded tighter and more ferocious than ever. Dressed in all black with traditional clothes, using traditional mask as décor, folk metal grunts… This was definitely the right choice for an opening act.
Right on time as the clock struck 8 PM, The Hu emerged. The big Mongolian warrior statue they had on stage was really effectful. They launched into their set with an energy that defied the heat. From the moment the first horsehead fiddle (morin khuur) shrieked and the thunderous drums kicked in (two types of them even), the crowd was theirs.
I’ve listened to The Hu countless times, but nothing quite prepares you for the sheer visceral power of their live performance. The guttural throat singing resonates deep in your chest, the galloping rhythms make you want to join a cavalry charge, and the traditional instruments woven into their heavy rock sound create an experience that’s both ancient and utterly modern. They played all the crowd-pleasers, from the infectious “Yuve Yuve Yu” to the powerful “Wolf Totem,” each song delivered with an intensity that belied the temperature.
Something worth noting is a song I heard for the first time, “Triangle“, which possessed a surprisingly folk-country vibe, making me think “If Mircea Baniciu was Mongolian, this is what he’d sound like.” The energy truly exploded during “Grey Hun“, but “TATAR Warrior” was the true headbanging moment.
I’m not sure if this was ever a conscious decision on their part when naming the band, but it sure was fun to see the crowd chant – “HU! HU! HU!”. Easy for everyone to get behind, sounds very primal, and goes along with their music, and it’s universal, given how most countries don’t understand a single work they’re singing. While part of me wished for some subtitles throughout the show to have any clue as to what they were singing about, the magic of The Hu lies in the experience itself. You’re there to be transported to another realm, to embrace the novelty of their sound, and they certainly delivered. I do think, however, that there is something lacking when they play their duets without the track of the featured guest. I know they have a live show and cannot get Serj Tankjan to do his vocals on “Black Thunder“, or Lzzy Hale on “Song of Women“, but they both brought something important to those songs that just got lost completely.
The journey through the steppes felt a little brief. The setlist comprised a rather short 15 songs, with the entire show, including the encore and the break before it, clocking in at under 1 hour and 20 minutes. It was also quite unusual for a headline show, particularly during the summer when daylight lingers and the heat persists, to start at 8 PM and finish as early as 9:20 PM. This left me, and I suspect many others, wanting just a little more of that shamanistic rock energy.
Watching them, clad in their traditional attire, I couldn’t help but marvel at how they managed to exude such an aura of cool. What a wonderful cultural experience we just shared! After all, I think The HU is what most of the people there that night know of Mongolia, and they sure do their country justice. Thank you, Emagic, for organizing this concert and bringing them to us!