Chalk: a relentless and genre-busting band from Belfast

Spotlight On

Today, the Spotlight shines On the Belfast, Ireland, band Chalk.

Chalk is Ross Cullen on vocals, Ben Goddard on guitar, and Luke Niblock on drums. They cook up a pretty stunning racket with a unique sound that is nonetheless recognizable in its post-punk, dance, and industrial lineages. If that makes sense to you, you will love Chalk. If it does not, give them a listen. Chances are you will dig what they do.

This is the second of two episodes I recorded on-site, in my hotel room/recording studio, at the SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas.

The recording took place two days after Chalk pulled out of SXSW to protest the festival’s commercial alignment with the US Army and multiple weapons manufacturers, one of at least ten Irish artists to do so.

The band opened up about their process and development in this great discussion. Enjoy.

(all musical excerpts heard in the interview are taken from Chalk's new EP, Conditions II)

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Dig Deeper

• Listen to Chalk's latest EP, Conditions II, on Bandcamp or your streaming platform of choice
• Follow Chalk on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter (X), and YouTube
• Watch Chalk play live on KEXP
• Irish Bands Cancel SXSW Concerts Over Arms Companies and US Army Sponsorship
• SXSW Protest is About More than Palestine
• Chris W. Ryan — Producer / Musician / Composer
• Meet Chalk, the Belfast experimentalists making ‘trauma techno’

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