Rend Collective, the Northern Irish Christian worship group that began as a small Bible study, will return to the SSE Arena in Belfast on Friday as part of a UK and US tour supporting a new album, "FOLK!."
Lead vocalist Chris Llewellyn, who grew up in Bangor, said the group’s origins were modest but have since expanded well beyond expectation. "It's got wildly out of control at this point," he joked, describing how members recorded music as a memento and that those recordings eventually drew the attention of songwriter Martin Smith, who played them to an American worship leader and helped open the band’s first doors in the United States.
Llewellyn said touring the United States has been an "incredible privilege," recalling the first time he boarded a tour bus and how he did not expect to be back on one again. "And yet, 16 years later and we're still going," he said. The band has played venues in Nampa, Burlington and Nashville, among others, and plans to stop in Birmingham, Manchester and London in the coming weeks before returning to the US.
Steve Mitchell, the band’s bass guitarist, said he was "too young" to join Rend Collective at the outset and later reached out to the group via Facebook to ask about joining. Mitchell, who once worked at the venue now known as the SSE Arena, said he was looking forward to playing close to home and joked that he had "already eaten my bodyweight in sausage rolls."
While logistics for performances and touring have grown more complex, Llewellyn said the band’s core remained simple: "four or five people playing acoustic instruments and singing to God about life and faith." He added that music and faith have always been intertwined for him and that attempts to write non‑faith‑based material invariably returned to spiritual themes.
The group’s new album, "FOLK!", marks a deliberate return to folk influences. Llewellyn said the band’s "Irish blood" has pulled them back toward acoustic, communal music. "The whole album is very organic. One of the special things about folk music is implied in the name, it's just for the people," he said.
Rend Collective have not been without criticism. Llewellyn acknowledged "mild" pushback from some churchgoers who argue their concerts are more of a show than traditional worship. He described the distinction as false: "You sometimes get the criticism that this isn't worship, it's a show… to which I would say it's a show and it's worship."
The group’s touring history reflects steady international growth from its humble beginnings. Members have toured across North and South America and Asia, experiences Mitchell said broadened his outlook. The band’s continuing appeal, Llewellyn said, is partly down to their accent and personality in markets where those traits resonate; he added it can be harder to stand out in the UK, where their distinct accent is taken for granted.
Rend Collective’s Belfast date on Sept. 12 will be followed by shows in major British cities and another leg in the United States. The band plans to keep balancing the practical demands of a touring outfit with its foundational aim of making participatory, faith‑inflected music for congregations and general audiences alike.
