When Chalk walk on stage, the tone has already been set before an instrument has been played. Typically in a small, sweaty room with minimal lighting, it’s easy to get the feeling that the band is going to take the ceiling off. Anyone familiar with their music knows what comes next. Tracks like ‘Claw’ have a bassline that reverberates so heavily the floor starts to bounce, and ‘Conditions’ has an emotional outpour that even the people at the very back of the room can feel.
Off stage, singer Ross Cullen and multi-instrumentalist Ben Goddard are soft-spoken and gentle-natured, a contrast to their explosive performances. For them, being on stage seems to feel like a cathartic release.
“It’s like acting in a way, like fulfilling a role at a job”, said Ben. “I did acting as a kid and was absolutely terrible at it, but there’s something about being on stage that brings something out, a way to show a different side of yourself, and invoke a performance. We make fast, heavy, noisy music, and to match that sound live there’s definitely something that comes out of us.
“There’s moments during the set where there’s a big emotional release”, added Ross. “Probably five or six points, or maybe even more, where you just fucking let go. There’s definitely points in songs that you can just lose yourself in. If the audience is there with us, giving it back, everything will feel amazing on stage.”
Still learning the way of their trade, Chalk have been making and releasing music for just over two years, having all met in film school. Originally from different parts of Northern Ireland, they put out a single before they had even played a gig, meaning they originally didn’t feel “a part of the Belfast scene”.
“At our hometown shows, I get really nervous”, said Ross. “You go on with a little bit of anxiety, hoping that it’ll be okay and people will be into it. The support from the home town shows and the arts council has been great, though. It feels like you’re given a sense of representation, which makes us really proud.”
Chalk’s racket sound is original in their scene, but increasingly to where they’re from. Belfast isn’t a city specifically known for its guitar music despite its talents, with electronic dance music taking the reins of the city thanks to now universal acts like Bicep. Originally taking a while to craft their identity, the band looked to their cities biggest scene.
“There is a bit of a spirit that this place has, and has always had thanks to the shape the music scene has formed. Obviously dance music is the massive genre here, and it’s where we look towards for our sound. We leaned more to electronic nights in Belfast initially, but we then looked to Dublin where that boom of guitar music was happening, like Fontaines D.C and The Murder Capital, and we wanted to have both of those genres in mind when making something. We never really saw ourselves as a band initially, so we looked at DJs for influence and then tried to merge the two to create something original to ourselves.”
While definitely considering themselves an Irish band, Chalk music doesn’t match what some might think of traditional Irish music. It goes further than that, with Ben stating they want their music’s themes to feel universal.
“With our lyrics, we like them to work in a more abstract way to invoke feelings rather than explicitly saying something. National identity is something that we’ve talked about exploring in future projects, though. We’re in our mid twenties, but a lot of people growing up here have a bit of a crisis with their identity, I’ve definitely felt that and others have too. Being torn into saying whether you’re British, Irish, Northern Irish. I think the EPs have alluded to that in a way, not knowing what to do in the context of this country”.
The result of all of their influences comes through on their recently released single, ‘Tell Me’, thanks to its electronic drums and intense post-punk inspired vocal performance. They recorded the track in Iceland after receiving an artist’s fund. “Yeah, I don’t think we’d be able to afford to go over with our own wallets”, laughed Ross.
“We didn’t get out much while there. The recording studio was in a really recluse part of the country, we had to drive three or four hours in a snowstorm to get there. It was a great experience, though, and we’re really proud of what we produced there.”
Quickly approaching the release of their third EP in as many years, Chalk can testify from firsthand experience the pressure on new bands now to be a constant outlet of work, whether it be from recording or touring.
“I think the best thing we can do is to not rush anything. We’re trying to learn to find that balance, but it’s difficult with festivals, tours and writing our own material. You’d love to take as much time as possible, but the clock feels as though it’s ticking in a way. In this industry, it’s important to stay consistent.
Their hard work has obviously paid off, though, earning themselves a support slot for IDLES on the Irish leg of their tour.
“It’s obviously a dream come true”, said Ross. “You get these full circle moments sometimes, last year we wouldn’t have believed you if you told us that. For it to be in Dublin and Belfast as well, it means everything.”
Chalk’s third EP ‘Conditions III’ is releasing on 21.02.25, with a UK and European tour to follow, you can get tickets here.
Tour Dates:
Words by Seanan McEvoy