The Bible study group that got 'wildly out of control'

Christian band Rend Collective will be performing in Belfast and across the UK

Christian worship group Rend Collective was not always the well-known band it is today.

Lead vocalist Chris Llewellyn from Bangor recalls how the group started off as a Bible study but things have changed greatly since then.

"It's got wildly out of control at this point," he joked.

As members of the group were growing up and moving on, they recorded some music as a memento, which caught the attention of songwriter Martin Smith.

Smith then played them to an American worship leader, which brought the Bible-study-turned band stateside for the first time.

Llewellyn described touring in America over the years as an "incredible privilege".

"I remember getting on a tour bus for the first time, and I was just soaking it in because I thought I'd never get back on one again," he said.

"And yet, 16 years later and we're still going."

He said the accent "gets us very far out there".

"It's actually harder touring in the UK where nobody cares about our accent."

'I was too young' at the start

Steve Mitchell, bass guitarist for the band, said through touring he was fortunate to see a lot of the world including America, South America and Asia.

Mitchell said he was "too young" to join the band at the beginning, and actually "messaged them on Facebook" to ask about joining.

Ahead of playing at the SSE Arena on Friday, Mitchell said "I've already eaten my bodyweight in sausage rolls.

"I worked at the SSE for a little bit when it was called the Odyssey, which we still call it. But it's just so close to home, and unbelievable that we get to do it."

'Music and faith always connected'

Chris Llewellyn (left) and Stephen Mitchell (right) discuss how faith affects their music

Llewellyn said that while the logistics of performing and touring have become "much more complicated", it does not get more difficult than "trying to love God and love your neighbour, through the context of playing a banjo".

"At the heart of it, it's still four or five people playing acoustic instruments and singing to God about life and faith," he said.

Llewellyn said music and faith "has always been connected to me".

"It doesn't make sense to do it any other way," he said.

"When I've personally tried to write stuff that isn't necessarily faith-based, it always ends up back there."

Chris Llewellyn performed in Minneapolis with the band while on tour

Llewellyn said the band has received "mild" negativity from some churches over how worship should sound.

"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," he explained.

Llewllyn said that the band's "Irish blood" has brought them back to the folk genre in their new album, 'FOLK!'.

"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 and I really love that," he said.

Having performed at a number of venues in the US, including Nampa, Burlington and Nashville, they are returning to the SSE Arena in Belfast on Friday 12 September.

They will then tour several venues across the UK, including Birmingham, Manchester and London, before heading back stateside.