Chasing Abbey To Release CYBER CELT Album Sept 18, U.S. Tour Starts Sept 25
Ronan Bell, Jonathan Byrne and Ted Conway blend traditional Celtic sounds with electronic production.
CYBER CELT is the genre-defying debut album from innovative Irish trio Chasing Abbey, set for release September 18. The album has been preceded with two singles, 'GREEDY PIGS,' released last month, and June's 'SEACHAIN.'
The electro-celtic group will head out on the CYBER CELT WORLD TOUR starting September 17 in Dublin and 18 in Belfast, before kicking off a 26-date run of the U.S., September 25 in Tucson. The band previously made their U.S. debut in Winter 2026 selling over 4,000 tickets, including three nights at the Brighton Music Hall in Boston, plus sold-out shows at the Mercury Lounge in New York and The Echoplex in Los Angeles.
About the experience, Chasing Abbey offered, 'It's really special touring the USA, the people we meet at the shows are some of the most genuine loving people we've ever encountered. They show us so much support and we can't wait to perform out there again. Our last tour was pretty much all sold out and this tour is heading in the same direction so we are very grateful and excited to give it our all this fall 🖤.'
CYBER CELT can be pre-ordered on LP, CD & limited edition colored vinyl at www.chasingabbey.ie.
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, and are influenced by peers such as Kneecap, Lankum and The Mary Wallopers, who use the beautiful ancient language of Gaeilge to deliver their lyrics with maximum weight. 'Kneecap reignited the flame, in a way.' Conway says. 'We feel it's our responsibility to use it to progress culture and tradition in the same way we've been doing through music.' He adds that, something he's noticed particularly on this album, is that it was easier to express themselves in Irish.
CYBER CELT is a coming together of past, present and future, in which Chasing Abbey reflect on the lessons they can glean from their ancestors – respect for nature and tradition – while also learning from their mistakes. They're also infusing their music with a strong political bent, melding themes of pride, defiance, heritage and tradition with messages against corruption, greed and colonialism.
'We have a moral code that we live by - you have to, in these times,' Conway explains. 'It's pretty crazy out there and you've got a lot of racism, a lot of hatred, bigotry, sexism, the whole fing shebang. It feels rampant at the moment. So everybody has a duty to try and stand against it, because we can't just let it go. This is the purpose of music, of being an artist.'
'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 totally consumed by greed, blind to any sort of consequence or suffering of others. 'I noticed there was always one pig that bullied the rest and ate all the food, there was no satisfying his greed. He would eat and eat and eat, and become massive,' he recalls. 'But the thing about that was, he was fast-tracking himself to the slaughterhouse.'
'ÍORÓNTA', meanwhile, is a hair-raising song about the oppression of the Irish people, and the oppression still taking 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 'terrorists', and the deep-rooted trauma of peoples who have had their rights, language, culture and history snatched away from them. 'We understand how these systems work and how the oppressors manipulate the narrative to make it seem like those they're oppressing are the criminals,' Conway says. 'So there's a solidarity between the Irish and others, like the people of Palestine, going through that today.'
CYBER CELT may be their debut album, but Chasing Abbey already have a worldwide fanbase, built from a decade of single and EP releases and their live show, which is as much a spiritual awakening as it is a concert performance. The trio mix soaring energy with a message of unity and social justice, driving home the feeling that this is more than just a show, this is a movement which Chasing Abbey are leading internationally. The trio are currently in Canada wrapping up a run of select summer North American shows. They will follow their autumn U.S. tour with a run of UK, EU and Australian dates to wrap up the year.
Tour Dates
08/20 – Halifax, NS @ Lighthouse Art Centre
08/21 – St. John's, NL @ JAG Soundhouse
09/17 – Dublin, IE @ Vicar Street [SOLD OUT]
09/18 – Belfast, UK @ Limelight [SOLD OUT]
09/25 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress
09/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar [SOLD OUT]
09/27 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah [SOLD OUT]
09/29 – Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
09/30 – San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
10/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge
10/03 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater [SOLD OUT]
10/04 – Kansas City, MO @ Warehouse on Broadway
10/06 – St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club [SOLD OUT]
10/08 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
10/09 – Milwaukee, WI @ Falcon Bowl
10/10 – Detroit, MI @ Lager House [SOLD OUT]
10/11 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
10/13 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Music Bar
10/14 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Café & Music Hall
10/16 – Washington, DC @ Union Stage
10/17 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
10/18 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
10/20 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall
10/22 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
10/24 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
10/25 – Orlando, FL @ The Social
10/27 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
10/28 – Austin, TX @ Antone's
10/29 – Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
11/03 – Nottingham, UK @ Rescue Rooms
11/04 – London, UK @ Scala
11/06 – Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat
11/07 – Paris, FR @ Les Etoiles
11/08 – Brighton, UK @ Patterns
11/10 – Manchester, UK @ Deaf Institute Music Hall
11/11 – Leeds, UK @ Brundell Social Club
11/12 – Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy 2
11/13 – Oxford, UK @ O2 Academy 2
11/15 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3 The Warehouse
11/17 – Liverpool, UK @ O2 Academy 2
11/18 – Cardiff, UK @ Clwb Ifor Bach
11/20 – Berlin, DE @ Prachtwerk
11/21 – Milan, IT @ Q-Club
12/10 – Melbourne, AU @ The Espy
12/11 – Brisbane, AU @ Crowbar
12/12 – Sydney, AU @ PADDO RSL
12/14 – Perth, AU @ Amplifier Bar
Tickets are available at chasingabbey.ie.
Tracklist
01. GORTA
02. TAL
03. ÍORÓNTA
04. MAR SIN
05. GREEDY PIGS
06. SEACHAIN
07. SCARTHA
08. CULCHIE
09. SEAN TÍR
10. Aris is Aris
11. SAOIRSE SAOIRSE
12. COLLANISED MINDS
13. RUD CRUA
Photo Credit: Fargos Photos
Photo Credit: Fargos Photos
