Traditional Irish meets alt-electric band Chasing Abbey played a storming sellout gig to a lively and enthusiastic crowd, some of whom had travelled over from Ireland to witness the band’s first ever visit to The Bodega in Nottingham...
Chasing Abbey have made a huge impression on the Irish music scene both in Ireland and in the UK with an exciting fusion of traditional Irish tunes and electronic dance rhythms which they have crafted in their own unique style. Like many of the Irish balladeers before them, the band continue this bardic storytelling tradition in fine style, bringing it bang up to date. Many of their compositions are sung in the Irish language, making the message contained in the songs all that more poignant, and solidly fixing their connection to Celtic culture.
Lifetime friends Ronan Bell, Jonathan Byrne and and Ted Conway, (aka Ro, Bee and Teddy C) from Tullamore in the Midlands of Ireland formed Chasing Abbey in 2016. In a short space of time they’d secured serious media attention with glowing reviews in the international music press along with significant radio plays including a number of top-placed chart Irish music chart successes.
Supporting Chasing Abbey were Na Cairde, who proved to be a worthy support, getting everyone going from the very start. They consist of two acoustic guitarists, Sean and Colin, playing upbeat traditional Irish music with a definite punky edge. Their 45 minute set saw a good selection of songs old and new, the new represented by Might Buy A Boat, the old by Rocky Road To Dublin as well as their own rendition of I Fought The Law ("and we won!"). Sean looked cool in dark glasses reminiscent of a 1979 new wave singer, while Colin’s guitar playing complemented Sean’s nicely.
Talking with the lads, who were manning the merch stall after their set, Colin told me that they’d met up with Brian Eno in the pub after playing in support of the Kneecap court case in London. As they didn’t have a name at the time, among the three of them they came up with Na Cairde, which is Irish for 'friends'.
It was getting cosy as we eagerly awaited the main act of the evening. Despite this, people were friendly and I got talking to a group of friends who’d flown over for the gig. This included Melanie, who was celebrating her birthday, and came from Ballycastle in the Glens of Antrim on the beautiful north coast of Northern Ireland. Melanie said how much she liked Nottingham, its vibrancy and its people; she’d seen the Robin Hood statue and really enjoyed drinking in The Trip.
Bang on schedule, Chasing Abbey took their places on the stage and launched passionately into Gorta, a ballad about the famine in 19th century Ireland.
Heavy thumping bass provided by the group’s fourth member, DJ Kay Lynn, forcibly reinforced the song’s message and ensured much dancing from the word go.
Coffin Ships was the logical follow up:a song referencing the ships that took refugees fleeing from the famine to America in the hope of a better life. Ronan’s impeccable banjo playing carried the narrative perfectly.
I was really pleased that the next number played was one that had previously caught my attention on social media, subsequently prompting me to see the band. Arís Is Arís, (Again and Again) has lyrics in both Irish and English. I was reminded of John Lydon’s words in The Sex Pistols’ God Save The Queen, where he sang "We mean it man." It’s the same deal with these guys. Their lyrics are honest and heartfelt - you can see they really mean it. What really impressed me was how the band explained the lyrics to everyone and actively helped them to understand how to pronounce the Irish words. (Their YouTube channel certainly bears witness to this, with translations displayed on the video along with useful comments from subscribers.)
The band had big success a couple of years back with their reworking of the traditional Irish ballad Oh My Johnny (Banks of the Roses) and their performance of this song at The Bodega proved them to be multitalented with a more standard rendition of an old favourite. This song had everyone joining hands and singing along, the sort of occurrence you might find in any Irish pub or club.
No Irish band's gig would be complete without a display of Irish dancing, and the contingent that had flown over from Ireland emphatically demonstrated this, with some fine displays, where, despite the crowded floor, room was made for them to demonstrate their skills without hindrance.
The band’s onstage presence was striking; it seemed they were tuned into that same inspired current that has fired Irish poets and musicians over many years; that distinctive Celtic spirituality that runs in the veins of those who have written the history of Ireland. Chasing Abbey have nailed this idea in their music, and certainly one song that was played, Íorónta (Ironic), is testament to this, detailing how a nation’s culture is erased by colonisation and its opponents demonised. Ted’s vocals on this song had an almost mystical Buddhist chant ambience about them, conveying a real depth of meaning that reaches to the very core of being.
Jonathan demonstrated his professionalism wonderfully when his guitar had a broken string, calmly changing it while the band continued playing the popular Irish reel Bag O’ Spuds, before rejoining his bandmates.
While many bands do the inevitable and offer a prearranged encore, Chasing Abbey were not party to this practice tonight; they had put their hearts and souls into this show, and there was no need for a curtain call. Instead they did a reprise of Arís Is Arís, encouraging everyone to join in, and helping them to pronounce the song’s Irish words. The response was tremendous, with everyone enthusiastically singing along or just soaking up the Craic, which in The Bodega tonight for sure was mighty.
Chasing Abbey performed at The Bodega on 14th February 2026.
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