The Hu visit Bend

Published 3:30 pm Tuesday, April 19, 2022

The Hu sound like the centerpiece of an old comedy bit:

“The Hu are playing Bend’s Midtown Ballroom next week.”

“Who?”

“That’s right!”

In fact, The Hu is a band from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia that uses traditional Mongolian instruments to whip up a frenzied blend of folk music, rock ‘n’ roll, heavy metal, deeply resonant throat singing and Mongolian war cries. In 2019, they became the first Mongolian musical act to top a Billboard chart when their song “Wolf Totem” reached No. 1 on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales list.

Their music is boisterous, droning and heavily percussive, like tribal chanting set to symphonic rock. They shred in ways that feel new and unique, and yet strangely familiar at the same time.

Also, I just realized their name is a play on The Who.

The Hu: $27.50, 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 26, doors open 7 p.m., Midtown Ballroom, 51 NW Greenwood Ave., Bend, midtownballroom.com.

Marketplace