Innovative Irish trio CHASING ABBEY follow the release of their genre-defying debut album Cyber Celt and their recent sold out 25-date tour of the US by returning to the UK, Ireland and Europe for further dates in the autumn and winter. In addition, the band have announced their biggest headline show to date at the 1850-capacity Belfast Ulster Hall on Sunday 2 May 2027.
Cyber Celt is available now on limited edition coloured vinyl, standard vinyl and CD HERE
From Tullamore in the heart of Ireland, the trio of multi-instrumentalists, producers and vocalists Ronan Bell, Jonathan Byrne and Ted Conway fuse traditional Celtic instrumentation with modern electronic production influenced by peers such as Kneecap, Lankum and The Mary Wallopers, all of them artists who use the beautiful language of Gaeilge to deliver their lyrics with maximum weight.
Cyber Celt is a coming together of the past, present and future, in which Chasing Abbey reflect on the lessons they can glean from their ancestors – their respect for nature and tradition – while also learning from their mistakes. They infuse their music with a strong political bent, melding themes of pride, defiance, heritage and tradition with messages against corruption, greed and colonialism.
The latest single Greedy Pigs stems from this philosophy, influenced by Conway’s time working as a butcher with his uncles and grandfather. It’s a song about people who are wholly consumed by greed, blind to any consequence of suffering of others.
“I noticed there was always one pig that bullied the rest and ate all the food. His greed could not be satisfied. He would eat and eat and eat, and he became massive,” he recalls. “But the thing about it was that he was fast tracking himself to the slaughterhouse. I see a lot of parallels in today’s world – greed for the sake of it, greed that cannot be satisfied or quenched and the song draws on those observations.”
Íorónta, meanwhile, is a song about the oppression of the Irish people and the oppression that still takes place around the world today. The Irish word for ‘ironic’, it points out how those who fight back against colonialism or genocide are routinely labelled as ‘terrorists’, and highlights the deep-rooted trauma of peoples who have had their rights, language, culture and history taken away from them.
Cyber Celt may well be their debut album, but Chasing Abbey already have a worldwide fanbase, built from a decade of single and EP releases – earning awards and multiple-platinum records while reaching over one million followers online – along with their incredible live show, which is as much a spiritual awakening as it is a concert performance. The trio mix an electrifying energy with a message of unity and social justice that drives home the feeling that this is more than just a show.
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