Rend Collective Experiment, a worship band from Ireland, recorded their latest album around a campfire – an actual campfire. They lugged their instruments and sound equipment to a beach in the north of Ireland and worshipped with the crash of ocean waves, the crackle of the fire, and the feel of the ocean wind whipping through their hair.
Their music has Irish foot-stomping energy and acoustic folk intimacy; it is about worship. They recorded live on the beach with guitars, an accordion, some percussion, a banjo, and a “Jingling Johnny” – a wooden pole percussion instrument used centuries ago in military bands.
Released in January 2013, “Campfire” is an album of twelve songs, comprised of re-recorded songs from their previous two albums “Organic Family Hymnal” (2012) and “Homemade Worship by Handmade People” (2011), as well as adapted classics like “Be Thou My Vision” and “10,000 Reasons.” Different from the original recordings, the new recordings are faster paced, use fewer instruments, and have more singers, revealing the band’s emphasis on a campfire-like community.
While their David Crowder Band-like energy drives their songs, their lyrics provide a layer of depth. Songs like “Build Your Kingdom Here” ask God to unleash His power, show His mighty hand, and awake His church. They declare, “We are your church/ we pray revive this earth.” The combination of these lyrics with the Jingling Johnny and band members’ rapid, energetic guitar playing build to a heart-felt cry to God.
Other songs maintain the Irish folk feel, but slow down to meditate on the words. In “The Cost,” they declare, “I’ll chase You through the pain/ I’ll carry my cross/ ’cause real love/ Is not afraid to bleed.” The track, “Desert Soul” says, “All that I am is dry bones/ Without You Lord/ a desert soul/ I am broken but running/ Towards You, God/ You make me whole.”
On the band’s website, leader Gareth Gilkeson said, “We want our music to be what we call Organic worship, an honest and natural connection with God.” The band desires “the ignition of God’s people,” and they long for worship to be “as intimate as the fireside” and “as warm as family and honest as a late night heart-to-heart.”
In producing “Campfire,” Rend Collective pushed artistic boundaries through their acoustic live recording. The band has become an international success and played on tours with Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Tenth Avenue North, and Lecrae. They have also partnered with church leaders including Francis Chan, Louie Giglio, and Shane Claiborne.
I recommend this album to anyone who enjoys Irish folk music, appreciates deep lyrics, and desires worship. It has the fellowship and intimacy of a campfire built on an Irish beach.