The Hu were formed in 2016 in Ulaanbaatar with an aim “to show the versatility of Mongolian ancient instruments and traditional music culture to the world.” With their new album HUN due out on 24 July 2026 via Better Noise Music, the band decamped for a long weekend in the UK, including an impressive performance at EDDFEST in Knebworth House.
The Hu at EDDFEST, Buckingham Palace and The Mongolian Embassy
Words: Sean Titley / Rhys Tagg / Steve Kenton
Photography: Aggie Anthimidou / Manuela Langotsch
The Hu arrived in London in the week leading up to EDDFEST, heading straight to the city’s tourist attractions, including a visit to Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the British Army’s Household Cavalry in Whitehall.
A Lance Corporal with the Life Guards Squadron recognised them on CCTV and persuaded his commanding officer to let them meet the horses and guards in the stables at Horse Guards Parade. The band were also introduced to Overlord, the biggest horse in the squadron.
“The other guys were asking who they were,” the Lance Corporal said, “and I knew immediately. I discovered them from their song Sugaan Essena in the game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. I’ve been listening to their albums ever since.”
The band then performed at the Mongolian Embassy in Kensington, treating an exclusive audience to intimate acoustic renditions of This Is Mongol, Black Thunder, and the newly released single Grey Hun.
“This album was made because of the great commitment of many, many people behind us also,” Galaa said. “We’re excited to be seeing you with the new album and on tour as well. We are The Hu!”
The Hu At EDDFEST
The Hu took the early evening slot at EDDFEST, landing right at the midpoint of the day, and they probably brought the heaviest edge of the afternoon with them.
They opened with Last Soul, its low, resonant throat singing rolling out over a thunderous sound driven by a crushing bass drum that you could feel through the ground.
There was not quite as much singing along as there had been for Airbourne, but the crowd’s energy did not drop. Instead, people locked into the rhythm, responding physically rather than vocally, with huge waves of rhythmic clapping spreading across the field.
With much of the set built around new music from their upcoming album, HUN, the audience leaned into the atmosphere rather than familiarity, letting the weight and pulse of the songs carry them.
The traditional Mongolian instruments added a raw, earthy texture that set them apart from everything else on the bill, while the band held a calm, almost immovable presence onstage.
By the time they closed, the audience was fully with them, chanting along to patterns many had never heard before and giving one of the day’s most distinctive sets a huge sendoff.
The Hu – HUN
With a digital release on 24 July 2026 and vinyl to follow on 11 September, the excitement is building for new album HUN. The Hun means human being in Mongolian. The band were keen to emphasise that HUN in their album title rhymes with moon rather than pun, moving the emphasis away from the associations with Attila The Hun, although this will be hard to avoid for a Western Audience.
So far, Warrior Chant, The Men, The Real You, Lost Soul (featuring Jonny Hawkins of Nothing More) and Grey Hun have been released. To really appreciate these, it helps to watch the associated videos with English subtitles.
The HU draw heavily from Mongolian philosophy, and unless your Mongolian is good, the English subtitles really help.
The HU’s third offering is absolutely fantastic and, to our ears, their best so far. Thundering riffs and ethereal melodies mixing with galloping rhythms and the booming beauty and depth of the lead singer’s vocals take the listener on a journey into the Wild East.
The album pounds strength, resilience and fortitude into the listener’s heart. At the same time, this is done with good humour and passion for the positive side of mankind.
The band’s work is grounded in the Mongolian worldview, played on some of the most beautiful traditional instruments and at the same time accessible to the Western rock and Metal audience.
The HU are carrying an important message to the world wrapped up in ground-breaking, brilliant and compulsively listenable music. This extended trip to the UK certainly endeared them to many more news fans.
The Hu are back in the UK for a tour at the end of September. For a full list of dates and tickets, visit the band’s website here. The HU’s third offering is out on 24 July 2026 via Better Noise Music and is available to pre-order from thehu.lnk.to/hun.
