Mongolian rock band The Hu hits Wooly’s

Ever heard of Mongolian rock? Neither had we until recently when an interesting album came across our desk by a group called The Hu, a combination of hard rock played with traditional Mongolian instrumentation such as the Morin Khuur (horsehead fiddle), Tovshuur (Mongolian guitar), Tumur Khuur (jaw harp) set to some guttural throat singing in their native language.

And it’s good. Very good. We’d compare the band’s music to something, but frankly there’s nothing to compare it to, as Central Iowans will soon attest to when The Hu make a stop in Des Moines for a sold out show at Wooly’s on Nov. 25 in support of their debut album ” The Gereg.” The band, now in the midst of its first-ever three-month headlining North American tour, released the album on Sept. 13 via Better Noise Music. Their first two videos (“Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem”) have racked up an impressive 45 million views.

If you like your tribal beats thunderous, your guitar heavy and tasty, and your vocals as meaty as a case of Big Macs, this is for you. If you don’t believe us, take it from one of the band’s newfound fans — the one and only Sir Elton John. Yes, THAT Elton John.

John recently featured them on his “Rocket Hour” Beats 1 radio show and said, “You know I’m crazy about a Mongolian band called The Hu; it’s just the greatest new thing I’ve heard in a long time. They use traditional Mongolian instruments; it’s absolutely fantastic.”

The band’s name stands for the Mongolian root word for human being, inspiring their original style of music that they call “Hunnu Rock.” The band pull inspiration from the Hunnu, an ancient Mongolian empire better known as The Huns in western culture. Their music is deeply embedded with their ancient culture, even integrating old Mongolian war cries and poetry into their lyrics.  All four members have earned Bachelor’s or higher degrees in classical music and have gained several years of touring experience throughout Asia and the Pacific Rim. The band’s inaugural performance as The HU was in June 2019 in their hometown, followed by their first headlining European and UK tour this past June and July. The band also debuted this summer on several major festivals including in Download Festival, Rock Am Park, and more.

The Hu on Tour:
Friday, November 22, Louisville, KY
Saturday, November 23 Indianapolis, IN
Monday, November 25 Des Moines, IA
Tuesday, November 26 Omaha, NE
Wednesday, November 27 Colorado Springs, CO
Sunday, December 1 San Francisco, CA
Monday, December 2 San Jose, CA
Wednesday, December 4 Ventura, CA
Thursday, December 5 Santa Ana, CA
Friday, December 6 Pomona, CA
Saturday, December 7 Las Vegas, NV