Homegrown four-piece The Hunna are tipped for indie-rock stardom having established themselves on the local scene before teaming up with producers Tim Larcombe (Lana Del Rey, Halsey) and Dan Grech (Wolf Alice, Circa Waves) to record their debut single Bonfire in October last year. The Hunna are: singer/guitarist Ryan Potter (Valentino), lead guitarist Dan Dorney (BD-100), bassist Jermaine Angin (The Prince) and drummer Jack Metcalfe (IK, Insta King).
Now they are set to play the Festival Republic stage at Reading Festival on Saturday, August 27.
How would you describe your sound to anyone who hasn’t heard it?
Turn up rock. High energy. Anthemic rock tunes!
Which bands do you cite as your influences?
Kings of Leon, Beatles, Foals, Guns N Roses, Bombay Bicycle Club, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Nirvana.
What do you have planned for Reading Festival?
It's the first time for us performing at Reading. We've always watched it as kids and seen so many of our favourite bands there. We're planning on tearing the Festival Republic stage up with what we do best, as always! Also looking forward to seeing some new music if we get the chance.
What’s your favourite song to play live?
At the moment it's got it be Bad For You. It's off the new album and is the last song of our set and probably the heaviest.
Which schools did you go to?
Jack: Parmiters.
Jermaine/Dan: Francis Coombe.
Ryan: St. Joan Of Arc.
What jobs did you do while you were starting out?
Jack: Waitering at Pizza Hut
Jermaine: Clarks shoe shop
Ryan/Dan: Sanctuary Homes
What was it like growing up in Watford?
Dan: Real chill to be honest. It's mad to see how it's grown. Watford has always been good to us - there’s so much to do there and it's only a 20-minute train journey to London, which is always a bonus.
What influenced you to want to start a band - where did you have your first practices?
Dan: We (Valentino and BD-100) met at West Herts College, Music Practice course. From there we decided to make a band. We went under a few names which eventually evolved into The Hunna. BD-100 knew Prince J since Kingsway Junior School and he always supported us through all the early years. IK joined the band to drum and asked Prince if he wanted to join, which he did and there The Hunna was born. We practice at Titan Studios. Best rehearsal studio around. Big up Steve Sears Jr.
How has the Hertfordshire music scene helped you?
It helped when we were younger. So many inspirational bands came from Watford. We remember going to The Railway Club to see all of our favourites, Enter Shikari, Don Broco and many more. Seeing and playing alongside bands like them really encouraged us to play. And of course the one and only Elton John!!
Are there any local bands that you have your eye on that we should look out for?
Unfortunately we don't know any up and coming bands/artists in Watford. We do wanna hear some though! Come at us where ever you are homies. We wanna listen!
Where do you like to hang out when you're back home?
We've spent a lot of time at Bodega and we also love The Grove.
Name your most memorable gig, and why?
Every show for us is special to be honest, our fans at the shows always have such a cool vibe that adds a different atmosphere to each show. Think we'd have to say Electric Ballroom as it was our first sold out show to more than 1,000 people, which made it a mad one to perform for us. The energy in that room was something we have never experienced before.
What’s next for The Hunna?
Preparing for the album release, and performing Reading/Leeds festival for the first time. Rehearsing for our UK album tour in September with plans to tour Europe and the US again before the end of this year.
We would just like to thank you for all of the local support - it means so much. We've grown up in Watford all our lives and it's an exciting time and we're a very proud, 100 is here!
Details: readingfestival.com/line-up/artist/hunna
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel