Following a massive headlining sold-out tour across the UK and Europe—including debut festival slots at Glastonbury and Bilbao BBK—Belfast electro post-punk duo, Chalk, made their US debut over the weekend in the Pacific Northwest.
Chalk’s second stop on their selective five-date US tour landed them at Holocene on Sunday, November 9, just weeks after the release of their new single, “Can’t Feel It.” They performed their very first US show in Seattle the night prior, with a raucous midnight set at Freakout Festival.
“I think everyone was probably, you know, up for a party,” guitarist Benedict “Ben” Goddard told the Mercury before their Holocene set. “We try to get everyone kind of loose enough to go for it. But even if you’re standing still, or you’re at the back, or you’re sitting down, everyone kind of enjoys it in their way.”
The packed crowd at Holocene on Sunday certainly enjoyed it, grooving and mesmerized, treated to a show that may very well be talked about for a long time.
With a timeless, mystical blend of atmospheric soundscapes; driving, dark synth staccato melodies; snarling, bombastic industrial-strength guitars; monstrous drum beats; and powerful vocals that range from softly serene to fierce and animalistic, Chalk’s music inhabits a unique space between worlds.
A liminal realm of shadow and light, a place somewhere between the gritty material world and a plush dream state. A fleeting, cinematic, emotional yearning that’s both memory and fantasy, shocked and shattered by furious screams of eternal torment and thunder—a sort of dark synthwave, industrial-goth, post-punk techno dream-pop sound.
Or, in their words: “[Our music has begun] to evolve a bit more since we started,” singer Ross Cullen told us before the show. “But I think it’s always kind of been an electronic and punk kind of combination at the basis. But we’re still trying new things, new signs, more contemporary kinds of influences. Going back to older bands, and open to sort of welcome more of an alternative nature to it as well. But yeah, electronic punk is kind of the rough word for describing it.”
The duo—consisting of singer Ross Cullen and Ben Goddard on guitars, synth, and sampler—was joined by drummer Fiontain McAleavey for the tour, whose thunderous performance was impossible to ignore, easily one of the highlights of the night.
Going into the show, it wasn’t clear how many folks would turn out. Given the band has never played the US, they are still virtually unknown to the masses stateside, and they don’t have a formal full-length album release (yet). It was also a Sunday, so the odds seemed against a large crowd.
But Portland proved all that wrong, Chalk does indeed have a fanbase here. As folks packed Holocene, there was a joyous energy, full of enthusiasm and appreciation of what would be a mind-blowing performance from a band that will no doubt be making bigger and bigger waves, both here and overseas, in the years to come.
Opening the gig was Portland-based House of Warmth, a “heavygaze” six-piece that got the party started right, featuring three lead singers, two guitarists, a bassist, and a drummer. With their ambient interludes, thick riffs, and ferocious three-part vocals, they were a perfect choice to start the show.
When Chalk mounted the stage, they were all business. Ripping through a super-tight, expertly-performed 16-song set of singles and EP cuts that clocked in at just about an hour. They took the audience to a place just beyond the horizon, just below the surface, and outside the veil. Unlike live bands or acts who interact and chat with the audience between songs, Chalk ensured the fourth wall stayed intact, with minimal “between-song banter” for maximum cinematic effect.
Cullen’s onstage performance was art in motion. Eyes closed, flowing in sync with the pulsing beat, he swayed and slithered, always moving, as if in a trance. His seductive dancing drew the crowd in, with his hands and face pointed to the sky, his microphone stand pulled far above his head as he crooned softly before jerking into a fighting stance, screeching heartbreak like a soul tormented.
With wraparound sunglasses, Goddard was the stage’s maestro, playing almost all the music of Chalk’s set, running the synth and sampler on a small table toward the back, while also strapping on an electric guitar for most of the songs. Goddard made it look easy, as he twisted knobs and played samples, furiously headbanging to the beat at times, or sauntering the stage like a jaguar slicing at his guitar in true punk fashion.
The explosive power, precision, and style of McAleavey’s drumming were some of the most impressive aspects of the show. He left his mark, ensuring you can’t ignore his work; that you will take notice.
From the first swells of the ethereal dreamsynth and pulsing goth beats of “Leipzig 87” to the final emotional, bellowed refrain of “Conditions,” Chalk’s set raced toward an ending that was both inevitable and intense. Ross belted the final lyrics of the night, “Cuz you don’t know ‘em like I do,” repeatedly as the swirling, echoey electro-melody wound the show to a close. Chalk thanked Portland, walked off stage, and proved, beyond words, why people are reacting so strongly to their music.
As Portland chanted for an encore that never came, Chalk added mystique and a sense of yearning—inherent in their songs—and left fans hanging. No doubt they will be back in Portland soon for those who missed the spectacle.
