The Hunna at Lafayette for BRITs Week War Child 2023

The Hunna at Lafayette for BRITs Week War Child 2023 | Live review

1^st February 2023

1 February 2023

Hailing from just around the corner in Watford, indie four-piece The Hunna are as close to home as they can get at London’s Lafayette. Although now scaling new heights of fame, they make the audience feel comfortable, as if this is a chilled evening in, not a night out in rowdy London. That’s not to say this is low-energy – quite the opposite, as the band leap into the light, tempestuous as opener The Storm. Despite the slow tempo and electronic effects of the support act, the band take to the stage as real humans, welcoming viewers to their show in support of War Child.

Trash sees vocalist Ryan Potter aggressively strumming his guitar, almost as if leading a congregation in song; lead guitarist Daniel Dorney and drummer Jack Metcalfe join in, making full use of the space. Potter, despite being anchored to his guitar, does not let the crowd get away with not moving. He laments emo being back, but there are fans from all walks of life in the venue, all in for the same thing.

From there, they weave effortlessly between old and new work. New hits like their latest single Fugazi are followed up with old classics Piece by Piece and Babe Can I Call. They’re definitely not afraid to play fresher songs, despite the crowd not knowing them (previously doing an entire tour of new material only they had heard). They still pull a massive crowd, and their popularity is all the more obvious tonight: because they are vibing with their latest work, it is quite contagious. That’s just as well, as most of the set is made up of tracks from their latest release, the self-titled The Hunna. It is a biography, and we get deep with Untouched Hearts, one of the slowest numbers in the set while still featuring the wild crash of drums.

It is entertaining to see The Hunna take on predominantly recent material, and refreshing, given bands often rely solely on their biggest hits, but there is a disconnect at points. It’s especially apparent in the reactions: despite being well received, songs like Apologies and Take a Ride do not get the same fanfare as their predecessors, She’s Casual and Bonfire, which are saved till the end, almost teasing fans throughout. They do all they can to make it work, but a more even balance between older and newer songs could be beneficial in this context. The set is also too short to really showcase everything the group has to offer.

★★★★★

Regan Harle
Photos: Nick Bennett

The Hunna performed as part of BRITs Week presented by Mastercard for War Child 2023. For further information on The Hunna and future events visit here.