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Review: The Hu/Tau and the Drones of Praise, O2 Academy
Seán Mulrooney’s Irish psych-folkies Tau and the Drones of Praise enjoyed some welcome publicity recently thanks to their musical collaboration with Damien Dempsey and Clannad co-founder Pól Brennan, but they’re still not exactly well known and their inclusion on this bill wasn’t advertised locally. “Who are you?” demands a punter. “I’m Seán,” replies the frontman, briefly missing an opportunity to plug his band.
But in an age when the likes of Wardruna and Heilung play to appreciative metal crowds, Tau don’t feel like an outlier. And their brand of tree-hugging, ancestor-worshipping spiritual folk fits right in.
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They open with the jolly stomp of Ceol ón Chré from their Misneach album, which succeeds in getting the packed crowd onside. It’s got a strong Celtic feel, but deftly dodges the trappings of trad.
Strong female backing vocals complement the multi-instrumental mix and Mulrooney is keen to underline his band’s emotional/spiritual connection to the headliner (“We’re singing about the same stuff”).
They conclude by getting unexpectedly funky with a reworking of Sly and the Family Stone’s 1969 hit Thank You.
One of just two bands playing both Download and Glastonbury this summer (the other being Skindred), Mongolian metallers The Hu have carved out such a niche for themselves that they can win over just about any audience. This is their third show in Bristol and, as before, the band’s four core members are shadowed by an additional touring quartet playing electric instruments and two drumkits. The octet form a full-on horde, with their ceremonial flag plonked centre stage to mark the site of this latest invasion.
Maybe the experience of touring with all those heavy-duty metal bands has rubbed off on them, but the whole rockin’ quotient seems to have been kicked up a notch, with the guitars now sounding rather louder than before. Those distinctive whinnying horsehead fiddles are never lost in the mix, mind, and Jaya – the most rock star-esque Hu-man – seems to have perfected the art of throat singing and playing the tumur hhuur simultaneously. He and Gala also seem to have learned a few more words of English since they were last here, though these are largely restricted to such traditional rock’n’roll phrases as “Are you ready?” and “Make some noise”.
It helps that they now have two albums to draw upon and that we all know when we’re expected to join in the chanted battle cries. Shoog Shoog from The Gereg certainly succeeds in getting the crowd moving, despite the stifling heat.
A highlight of new album Rumble of Thunder, Bii Biyelgee also whips up a frenzy, especially when it speeds up at the end. “This is a song for all womans,” Jaya tells us solemnly, introducing epic old favourite Song of Women – the closest The Hu get to a power ballad, which slows the pace a tad.
Black Thunder sounds suitably enormous, and crushingly heavy. Like Yuve Yuve Yu and Wolf Totem, it also benefits enormously from the absence of those guest American vocalists who plagued the re-recorded versions.
Occupation achieved, The Hu take down their flag and depart, leaving the suitably delighted audience chanting “Hu! Hu! Hu!” Elton and the Gunners will have to be on top form to better this at Glastonbury.
All pix by Mike Evans
Read more: Metal & Prog Picks: June 2023
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