The Hu brings Black Thunder to Portland, ME – May 13, 2022

Legendary Mongolian folk rock and metal band, The Hu, made a thunderous appearance as they shook the State Theatre in Portland, Maine on Friday night. Supporting their Black Thunder tour was South Florida’s The Haunt, a sibling duo fronted rock band with energy that leaves you saying “this is why I missed rock concerts during Covid!”

The Haunt

The Haunt, which consists of siblings Anastasia Grace Haunt and Maxamillion Haunt, along with Nat Smallish (bass) and Nick Lewert (drums). Anastasia commanded the stage with her refreshing and demanding presence. As someone who grew up with the “myspace-era” of rock music, one would find Anastasia’s performance on stage a lot like our beloved Hayley Williams of Paramore, which is one of the highest compliments a person can absolutely receive. One of my favorite performances of the night was actually a song they released this year titled “I’m Not Yours”. The band’s whole involvement in the number was fun to watch. After every song the audience cheered and applauded, which was well deserved.

The Hu

Deep bellowing of “Hu! Hu! Hu!” greeted the headliner as the 8-man band assembled amongst the stage. Traditional Mongolian instruments such as the Morin Khuur and the Tovshurr can be found amongst the members of the band. The beautiful instruments have your eyes glued to them. The “Black Thunder” tour is a fitting name for the rumbling of the chords that are filling the State Theater.

Nyamjantsen “Jaya” Galsanjamts had an amazing presence as he pounded his fist into their air and stared amongst the crowd, the cries of Mongolian war chants bounced off the walls and echoed back from the crowd. The band consists of four permanent members, Gala, Jaya, Enkush, and Temka, who sing in their trademark throat singing style and also play their traditional Mongolian instruments. Meanwhile, this tour features four touring members, Jamba on guitars, Davaa on bass, Odkoon drums and Ono on traditional drums and percussion.

Watching The Hu perform was an absolute religious experience, and while most shows you can gauge the target audience, the best thing about this show was there was such diversity that people from all walks of life gathered to experience it. Everyone cheered, chanted and fist bumped to the sound of Mongolian chants and lyrics, truly a performance worth seeing.