BHL
NYC | 01.26.2025
Photo by Sam James @samjames.jpeg
A Legion of Horribles
Blue Hummingbird on the Left
Blue Hummingbird on the Left instantly conjures that same raw, feral energy you sense in the pages of Blood Meridian—those blistering desert confrontations and the doom-laden promise of violence. There’s a moment in McCarthy’s novel when a group of American mercenaries is about to be annihilated by a band of Native warriors, and it reads like an unholy tempest has descended from another dimension. BHL channels that same vortex of chaos: “a horde from a hell more horrible yet… clothed in smoke… where the eye wanders and the lip jerks and drools.”
From the very first note of their set, I was overwhelmed by a continual onslaught of riffs and reverb-soaked howls. It was visceral, relentless, and I found myself thinking only one thing: Oh my god.
When a band’s members shift roles or take up new instruments to form another project, it reveals a genuine devotion to creation itself. It’s a signal that music is in their marrow—an irrepressible force that demands expression. You can sense that compulsion on stage. They are creating, writing, performing for anyone willing to listen, unburdened by ego or expectation. It’s musical expression in its purest form, driven by desire rather than dictated by obligation.
Despite the fact that BHL is composed of musicians who’ve played in other groups, they stand firmly on their own. There’s nothing perfunctory here—no whiff of a “side project.” Every member is all-in, each note refined and purposeful, each layer serving to bolster the band’s unique identity. And the lead singer—wearing a bomber jacket and shades, dome tattoo proudly on display—perfectly epitomizes that unapologetic edge. Hard, focused, and unmistakably authentic, he helps anchor a performance that resonates with fierce intensity.
BHL is a band that commands your attention the way a thunderstorm dominates the horizon. They meld artistry and ferocity into something that feels both timeless and unhinged. And that, at its core, is what makes them so electrifying to behold.
Words by Luke James | Photos by Sam James