So after driving back from a gig listening to Spotify I came across a band id not heard of before and I remember thinking how great a sound they had. This band was none other than Irish electronic rock band Chasing Abbey.
After following them on social media for a while they announced their world tour and one of the dates was at the Scala in London in which I attended on a midweek night.
Opening up the show was Miranda Faul an Irish singer-songwriter who also is joining Chasing Abbey on more of their tour dates.
On the stage was just herself a guitar and a laptop. Miranda sung beautifully and had a calming sound to enjoy. She really drew the crowd in and got them excited for the night ahead. She is definitely one to watch.
Before Chasing Abbey came onto stage I spoke to a fan who had travelled all the way from South Carolina to see them. She had only recently seen them back in the states so was excited to see how the crowd reacted compared to back home.
Entering the stage is the trio who are Ronan Bell, Johnathan Byrne and Ted Conway. Joining them also was a 4th member wearing a mask to play the electronics to accompany the bands traditional Irish sound. Starting off with their set was their song Gorta which is from their debut album Cyber Celt which was released back in September.
A lot of the songs are sung in Gaelic in which the audience sung in too. The band was translating alot of these words to make us all understand the meanings behind them. They said that music is what brings us all together.
During the performance people were singing and dancing along and having a great time. The amazing thing about the band is that they also have done everything themselves and had no management and had just friends and family helping them out to release the new music and do the tour.
Nearer the end of the set the band got the audience to be very quiet as they played without the speakers. It was truly magical to hear this and be part of it.
To end their set they played Aris is Aris for a second time and also had a traditonal Irish instrumental play which and everyone foot stomping and dancing to the beat.
Chasing Abbey are on a rise and put on an absolutely fantastic show. I can see them playing even bigger venues on the near future. Make sure to check them out.
Words and photos By Kane Howie
