There seems to be a resurgence of traditional Irish music these days but with an interesting twist. We have acts such as Madra Salach, The Mary Wallopers, The Scratch, Lankum, Child of Prague and The Wran but for me one that has gone under the radar is Chasing Abbey. Ronan Bell, Jonathan Byrne, and Ted Conway formed the band in Tullamore, Ireland, in 2016 and combine electronic production with influences from traditional Irish music. Their superb album `Cyber Celt` was released in September and the fellas are on the latter part of a World tour which has taken in North America, Ireland , is currently in the UK before heading through Europe, Australia and back to Ireland next month.
Chasing Abbey are a band who don`t shy away from the political, difficult, or problematic topics in life and the Erin Go Bragh flag sits proudly on the stage. Erin Go Bragh is a phrase which is often used to express allegiance to Ireland and often translated as “Ireland Forever.” The expression was used by the United Irishmen organisation in the 1790s. Therefore it`s no surprise that the hypnotic `Gorta` (which translates from Irish as “Famine” or “The Great Hunger”) a reflective and defiant track about An Gorta Mór (the Great Irish Famine of 1845–1852) is shared so early in the set.
We enjoy the wonderful `Arís Is Arís` which translates to `Again and Again`, another mesmerising song about conflict, trauma, violence and war and a reflection on not learning but repeating the mistakes of the past. Cultural identity bleeds through the thoughtful folk tinged `Mar Sin` and the meditative `Culchie` which reclaims a derogatory word to describe someone from rural Ireland.
We enjoy an instrumental interlude which may have been `Morrison`s Jig` before returning to songs like the spellbinding `Scartha` which translates to `divide` and touches on societal division, greed, and the loss of unity among people and the electronically rave, drum-and-bass tinged `Is Rud Crua` or “It is a hard thing” about the cruelty of life.
The home stretch includes the entrancing `Colonised Minds`, `Greedy Pigs` a critique on modern capitalism, the haunting `Saoirse Saoirse` with its core refrain of “One people, one cause, one life, power of the people, freedom” before closing out with `T.a.L.`, the title is an abbreviation of Tiocfaidh Ár Lá, a historical slogan often associated with Irish nationalism and republicanism but here its more of a call for collective resistance and unity.
The band return for an encore with the trio supporting this enthusiastic crowd in an a cappella version of `Íorónta` the Irish Gaelic word for ironic, an anti-colonial protest and resistance song before playing it once again in a musically accompanied format. The final number this evening is another airing of the brilliant `Arís Is Arís` a number that seems to be the spark that lit the fuse to Chasing Abbeys inferno. A number that will seep into your subconscious and have you singing your own version of it.
There is so much to enjoy and admire with Chasing Abbey who share thoughtful and heartfelt political and social discourse but with a hypnotically danceable tune and not in a preachy format. I really hope that this band who have gone under the radar so far obtain the wider success that they richly deserve.
