The Trinity Centre, a lovely little old church-turned-music-venue, came bursting to life on Thursday night as The Hunna tear the roof off.
The Hunna’s sold out tour made its second stop in one of Bristol’s most underrated venue’s on Thursday night, playing to a lively 650-strong crowd. The Hertfordshire band, formed in 2015, rose to fame with their debut album 100, with singles always bound to claim their status as festival anthems, such as ‘She’s Casual’ and ‘Bonfire’ adorning the playlists of many teenagers at the time (my own included).
So to see The Hunna all these years later, however with a much more serious and mature presence and sound, was refreshing. The way things normally go is that the music you loved and grew up with, eventually you’ll grow out of. However, the band seems to have grown alongside their fans and maintained a strong and vibrant fanbase throughout the years, as evident in Trinity that night. Performing their upcoming release, their self-titled fourth album in full, Ryan, Daniel and Jack caught and maintained the attention (and hearts) of the audience all night, despite many songs being unreleased as of yet. The affection many hold to the band was clear, from picking up and screaming lyrics from the released singles ‘Trash’ and ‘Apologies’ (to name a couple).
The band also spoke of their ‘cliché’ journey within the music industry, how they were treated and how they overcame it to be bigger, better and brighter than before. They also spoke on how “every record sale really does count and helps [them] to live [their] dream”.
These honest and genuine interactions really concreted their love and respect for their fans for me, and their need for making not only the music industry, but the world, a better and kinder place. In frontman Ryan’s words himself, they’re “all about f***ing good energy”.
Regarding their unreleased album, it provided a fresh, exciting sound to their set. Something which felt almost totally different to previous albums, with small parts reminiscent of Turnover-esque emo, dreamy guitar vibes, and others of grittier pop-punk anger with heavier breakdowns – even including a feature from Charlie Simpson, the frontman of British pop-punk icons Busted.
The band finished the evening with a selection of their greatest from their former three albums, including a euphoric rendition of fan-favourite ‘Babe, Can I Call?’.
Despite the unfamiliarity to a large portion of the setlist, the crowd gave the same energy all night long. Some credit of this can be given to their support acts for the night, the pop-rock queen Lucy Deakin and the loud, heavy Kid Kipachi, as they perfectly riled up the crowd for the headline act. Lucy’s pop-rock infusion was perfect for the post modern alternative children from an age of the internet who worship tiktok. Catchy, relevant, relatable. ‘Care Less’ was definitely along the same lines as Olivia Rodgrio, who claimed her place as our generation’s youngest pop princess after the release of her debut album Sour last year, however on a much heavier and grittier pipeline. For the younger female members of the crowd, they couldn’t have picked a better opener.
This then progressed a little more heavier as Hastings boys Kid Kapichi stormed onto the stage, armed with a contagious energy and even filthier riffs. Their anger-filled song about downing street parties and robbing supermarkets caught the attention of an empathetic crowd who could get riled up and hook onto their every word. ‘New England’ had an undeniable buzz, a beat-punk tune regarding the state of modern-day Britain which got the whole crowd moving. Shots of tequila on stage, they really became Bristol’s sweethearts after that monumental opening set. Kid Kapichi are a force to be reckoned with. Kicking off 2023 with a headline tour, you would be missing out on catching one of the most exciting acts on the scene if you were to be busy that night. Seriously, go see them. Thank me later.
The Hunna know how to put a show on, from start to finish. Not disregarding the impact of supporting acts and their opening sets, or meaningful interactions with their fans in the audience. Music is one thing, but a great gig does not just come down to the headline act performing their songs well. The Hunna have it down to a T.
Words and pictures: Daisy Kent @daisylkent