The unexpected powerhouse that is Rend Collective
Josh Kinghorn,
7th Jun 2021
Tags:
Music
Blog
Rend Collective
Pop
Roots/Acoustic
Depending on who you ask, mentioning Mumford and Sons will get varied responses such as “Who?” and “Isn’t that Ellie Mumford’s kid?” (Ellie Mumford is a prominent figure in the Vineyard UK church movement, and her son Marcus is the frontman for Mumford and Sons). You may have heard them from their hits “Little Lion Man” and “The Cave”.
Whilst their time at the top of the music industry is more or less done with, they are still making music. But their legacy within the industry, especially in the Christian circle, stays with what I like to call “The Mumford Effect”.
When Mumford and Sons first started making big headlines with their Folk Pop tracks, many groups, particularly within the Christian music scene, started to write in a similar way, incorporating folk instruments like banjos, mandolins and violins a lot more than before. However one band that started this have become a true powerhouse, using the Folk Pop sound in a way that no-one has been able to replicate.
Originally sixteen members strong, they tour with six members performing and the rest being support.
Rend Collective, formerly known as Rend Collective Experiment, hail from Bangor in Northern Ireland and were formed between the years 2002-2003 at Bangor Elim Church. Originally sixteen members strong, they tour with six members performing and the rest being support.
Their first release was entitled “Organic Family Hymnal” and came out in September 2010, and the following year toured with Chris Tomlin (“God’s Great Dancefloor” on our playlist) as well as Kari Jobe on her 2014 Majestic tour (also on our playlist with “Speak To Me”).
Rend Collective have released 10 albums.
To date, Rend Collective have released 10 albums including three live recordings and two Christmas albums, their most recent releases being “CHOOSE TO WORSHIP” and “A Jolly Irish Christmas”.
This includes touring and playing multiple times in the US, and are continuing their “Revival Anthem” tour that was postponed last year going into Belgium, Denmark and Germany.
Their sound is still so unique after making music for over a decade.
So what makes them so popular? Here’s three reasons I think explain it:
- They’re different; their sound is still so unique after making music for over a decade.
- They’re good; the talent for writing, playing and performing is always so clear cut.
- They’re passionate; every show, every interview, their passion for their faith and their music always shines through.
- They’re fun; I challenge you to find another group that are happy to dance around the stage in giant panda heads and still have valid justification.
But in all seriousness, Rend Collective have some serious staying power, and I sincerely doubt they’ll be hanging up their mandolins any time soon.
