Electro-Punk Duo Chalk Navigate Identity in Post-Troubles Belfast
In the historic Kelly's Cellars pub in Belfast, a venue that has united the city's residents since 1720, Ross Cullen and Benedict Goddard of the electro-punk duo Chalk settle into a corner alcove with pints of stout. The traditional music echoing from nearby sets the scene for a conversation about their unique backgrounds and the powerful themes driving their music.
A Fusion of Heritages and Sounds
Chalk, formed when Cullen and Goddard met while studying film at university, has spent five years crafting a live performance that rivals the best in the UK and Ireland. Their sound blends Underworld's rave-inspired beats with the intense menace of Nine Inch Nails, all while drawing deeply from Belfast's musical roots. This includes influences from punk legends like Stiff Little Fingers and Rudi to the electronic beats of David Holmes and the Sugar Sweet-era rave scene.
"We aimed to create as much noise as possible with just two people," Goddard explains. "But we never wanted to be limited by that constraint." Their early work, a trilogy of EPs titled Conditions, established their intense style, while their recently released debut album, Crystalpunk, represents the culmination of their artistic evolution.
Identity Crises and Cultural Divides
The album delves into the identity crises that emerged in Belfast following the Troubles, a period when music venues often served as neutral ground in a divided city. Goddard, who plays guitar and synth, grew up between Monaghan in Ireland and Armagh in Northern Ireland, with an English father and Irish mother. This dual heritage left him questioning his identity, feeling neither fully Irish nor English.
"What was my identity the whole time?" he reflects. Cullen, on vocals and production, comes from a mixed-religion family with a Protestant father and Catholic mother, and his father's experiences during the Troubles, including witnessing bullet holes in cars, have deeply influenced their music. "There's no flag for people like us," Cullen notes. "No Red Hand of Ulster, no tricolour. So we made our own."
The album's centrepiece, the eight-minute track Béal Feirste (the Irish name for Belfast), explores this sense of being unclaimed by either side. Its refrain, "shoulder to shoulder," is inspired by Ireland's Call, the all-island rugby anthem that has achieved cross-community unity where politics has often failed.
Confronting Hate and Building Unity
In the context of recent anti-immigrant riots in Northern Ireland and lingering sectarian tensions, Chalk's music emphasises the need for unity. "Wherever you're from, if your parents are from different religions or different sides, you can feel that impostor syndrome," Cullen says. "We want to put our own little footnote in there and say: this is what it's like after all that."
Their lyrics are filled with local references, such as the track Skem, named after a graffiti tag Cullen observed on trains crossing Northern Ireland. He imagined a commuter catching a glimpse of it in a blur, symbolising fleeting moments of connection in a fractured landscape.
Artistic Expression and Personal Growth
The video for their lead single, IDC, features Cullen wandering through Belfast in a spiked, crystal-studded leather mask, capturing the tension between their confrontational art and their introspective personalities. "I've never been to therapy," Cullen admits, "but these songs are like going back to younger me, that person who felt like an outsider. They're a vessel that's been building up for a long time."
Goddard, who has lived in Belfast for eight years, highlights the city's DIY ethos and cultural resilience. "Belfast over-indexes culturally; it punches far above its weight," he says. "We have such a DIY attitude. I'd almost rather the industry come to us."
As Chalk embarks on tours across North America and Europe, culminating in a homecoming show in May, they remain committed to their roots. Cullen concludes, "We're playing catchup on other cities, fair enough. But not only do we want to be here, we want to be part of what Belfast could become." Their album Crystalpunk, released on Alter Music, stands as a testament to their journey and the evolving identity of post-Troubles Belfast.
