For a group of four guys that have risen in success so quickly, I’ve never met a band so warm and welcoming. Talking with The Hunna, despite the interview setting, felt like a chat with a group of friends I’d known for ages.
“I like your pumas”, lead singer Ryan Potter said to me as I walked over to greet them.
I went to shake hands and they all hugged me instead. If it was a clever PR technique, I wouldn’t have known. They genuinely convinced me that they were an incredibly nice bunch of lads.
Considering their weekend performances included Reading and Leeds as well as Victorious, they seemed far more energetic than I expected. When asked how Leeds was the day before, Ryan said “very loud”. How is Victorious in comparison? The boys described it as ‘beautiful’, ‘well set out’ and ‘very clean’ – perhaps a lot tamer as a festival, but one they enjoyed nonetheless.
The day I spoke to the Hunna was the anniversary of their debut album 100 and as their first full festival season since the release, they seemed very confident about the reception.
“It’s got to a nice point where anywhere we go in the UK now, there’s always a good turnout and everyone seems to know all the words to the songs which is amazing, so there’s always a good vibe. We never really know what to expect, we just turn up.”
Yet, they didn’t seem shocked by their rapid rise to fame.
Ryan continued, “We’ve always been really confident in our music so we always thought that at some point it would be picked up”.
Drummer Jack Metcalfe said “Nothing’s really changed for us because we’re just still the same four best mates. When people say oh you’re really big we’re just like are we? But, visually we see it when the crowds are getting bigger and bigger”.
The Hunna maintain that they’ve stayed humble which, in turn, allows them to really connect with their fanbase.
“Some people think that we’ve changed or will expect us to have changed, but we haven’t, so I think people are surprised by that” said Dan.
“We just love meeting fans and we’ll talk to them like we talk to each other”.
Their secret, they say, is in their deep connection with each other. They all grew up in Watford, they were all born in the same hospital, and all but Jermaine have matching tattoos of their band logo. Jermaine and Dan even mentioned that they’d known each other since they were six years old. Their friendship certainly keeps them sane on tour, according to Dan, which was met by a chorus of agreement from the others.
The Hunna are undoubtedly living the dream.
“We’re meeting all our idols”, said Dan.
“Dude, yesterday we saw HAIM and I fangirled.”
“I fanboyed hard over Giggs.”
Even better, the band have also managed to meet some of their influences including the likes of Jimmy Eat World and You Me At Six, with Ryan even claiming “Me and Josh [Lead singer of You Me At Six] are in love”.
And the ambition to get even bigger doesn’t stop there. The band mentioned how they’d love to tour with the Foo Fighters or Biffy Clyro and how their dream venues to play include the O2 Arena, Madison Square Garden and even, as they all chorused, “The Super Bowl”. All I can say to that is good luck.
Check out The Hunna’s single ‘Bonfire’ below.
