CHROMA talk punk inspirations, Welsh language activism and their most unexpected influence
The band also revealed which member might be Getdown Services’ biggest fan.
Photo: Press
Welsh alt-rock trio CHROMA bring all the fire and fury you’d expect from a band forged in the South Wales Valleys. Fuelled by punchy riffs and fierce feminist energy, their 2023 debut album Ask for Angela lays down a bold new blueprint for modern Welsh rock. Having already smashed through sold-out shows alongside heavyweights like Foo Fighters, The Mysterines and Tigercub, the band are continuing to turn heads on stages across the UK.
Known for advocating for the Welsh language, CHROMA have also taken part in a cultural exchange to Aotearoa, New Zealand, as part of Prosiect Pūtahitang – a research project led by Cardiff University alongside the University of Waikato and FOCUS Wales. The project aims to explore connections between the Māori language, Māori worldview, and Welsh-language culture, all through the lens of each country’s music scene.
We caught up with Katie Hall (vocals), Liam Bevan (bass/guitar) and Zac Mather (drums) after their explosive set at Truck Festival to dive into their punk inspirations, Welsh language activism, and some of the unexpected influences shaping their sound.
You’ve been influenced by the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Gossip. How has their music influenced your approach to songwriting and your performance?
Katie Hall: Massively with the performance element. I’ve got to have a cat flick, otherwise I can’t function. Beth Ditto (Gossip) is one of my favourite singers and icons, and that age of punk music has very much shaped me. What I love about our band is we’ve been together for ages, and you can chop and change and lean on those influences.
Zac Mather: Yeah, I think the good thing about this band is there are so many influences and it’s all kind of one big melting pot. The way we write music might not be the dot-to-dot [way to] write a song. Most of the time, we just kind of come up with things individually, and we all come together and just make lots and lots of noise. Then, if something feels really good, then we’ll go ‘We’ve got to put that in a song’, and we tend to build a song around it. We’ve got loads of freedom and loads of scope to do lots of different things, and it still feels like CHROMA. It doesn’t feel like we’re trying to do something else.
So, if you had to pick an influence that might shock your fans, who would it be?
Liam Bevan: Toto, I guess. The chord progressions that they have in some songs catch you off guard. There’s an element of you think you know what’s coming, and then you’re sort of surprised with the better alternative. I think that’s what we try to challenge ourselves with. We might find ourselves falling into a trap when we’re writing songs, going ‘Okay, that is the typical response, it’d be better to go this way instead’. Just to see what happens. It might be terrible, but just explore it first. I think it’s led to some of our better songs.
Have you played a lot of festivals like Truck?
Z: We’ve played loads of festivals over the years. Obviously, there are a lot of small, independent festivals around the place that are amazing, but if we’re naming festivals, we’ve played Reading & Leeds, we’ve played Radio 1’s Big Weekend. There are so many festivals that, when we started as a band, we didn’t think we’d ever get a chance to play. I mean, this all came from a tiny little garage in a place called Abercynon in the South Wales Valleys. So, having the opportunity to come and play [at] places like Truck Festival, that we can just kind of roll in and there are already people there that are into it and super ready for it, that’s just amazing.
What’s been your favourite thing about playing festivals so far?
K: Oh, Truck Festival, I tell you what, I’ve been on my first buggy of 2025. I’ve been on a buggy twice. Both times have been very special experiences for me. But yeah, it’s just a vibe, and I’m really excited to see loads of other artists and just soak it all in.
What’s the most ridiculous thing that’s happened to you on or off stage?
Z: I think the wildest thing that ever happened to us is that we got inducted into the Waikato Māori when we were on tour in New Zealand a couple of years ago.
K: Yes! We’re in a Māori, we are. Waikato University Māori. It was sick.
How did that happen?
Z: It basically happened because of Cardiff University – they’re a research university and they look into lots and lots of different things. But the reason we went was because they were looking into similarities between indigenous languages around the world, because countries that still have indigenous languages look at Wales and kind of ask, ‘How did you rejuvenate your language that was crushed?’.
K: The scene in New Zealand is very spit and sawdust – like organised punk gigs – and that’s how a lot of our tour out there was. It was really, really fun, and it was an amazing country to be in. We went out to Aotearoa and both me and Zac got amazing tattoos.
Do you feel a responsibility to advocate for the Welsh language then?
K: My nana Sheila and my taid fought for the Welsh language back in the 60s and 70s, and all of us have gone through Welsh language education. I think people look at Wales and see that there are a great number of people who speak Welsh. So, for other minority languages, like Basque and Irish, I think it’s good to show good practice for rejuvenating these things because it’s so important for your identity and culture. I like to be able to speak tongue, and I love Welsh; it’s so pretty, so creating stuff in Welsh and speaking Welsh is really important to us.
If you wanted listeners to take away one thing from your music, what would it be?
K: I love writing music, and something that really kind of spurs me on is when people are excited to hear more music, which is a nice place to be because I didn’t think that would ever happen. I’m really blessed to be able to write loads of our lyrics, and all the next stuff has helped me process loads of stuff that’s gone on in my life for the past couple of years.
L: I guess ultimately, particularly with your lyrics, it’s about an acceptance of being vulnerable.
K: Yeah, I think the next batch of stuff is very heart on your sleeve, and also kind of social commentary. We wrote a song on our last album, Woman to Woman, and it’s about the TERFs and where trans rights are at the moment – the UK is absolutely diabolical, and people should be ashamed. There’s so much stuff that’s happening, and it’s really scary. We’re just taking it all in and trying to do our duty by talking out about that stuff.
I think that definitely comes across. But to end on a lighter note – what’s the most embarrassing song you have on repeat?
Z: I’m a big fan of Charlie Puth, which probably isn’t something that you’d think of when you watch me play drums.
K: You do really love Charlie Puth. I always enjoy driving in the car with Zac because he will play Charlie Puth at one point, and it is nice.
Z: I mean, I still listen to a lot of pop punk (the stuff that didn’t get cancelled), so I guess that’s still a bit cringey in some sense. Some of those songs, you hear them now and you’re like, ‘I was listening to this like 15 years ago…’.
K: I dip in and out of a lot of country music. I’m not ashamed of it, it’s just really nice. But I am ashamed of the fact that I’m listening to a Christmas song in August; it’s just wrong.
Z: The capitalist machine, already kicking in.
K: I don’t want Christmas; it’s just a tune.
L: For me, the actual music itself isn’t embarrassing, but I think you could both agree my obsession with it is embarrassing. I’m obsessed with Getdown Services. They are superb.
K: You said something cool! And I love those guys so much.
L: But at this point it’s embarrassing because I’m sort of stalking their Spotify profile waiting for the next release.
K: FANBOY.
L: I don’t think I’ve ever been like that with a current band, so it’s an odd one for me… But it is amazing music. I want to clarify that — they are brilliant.
So, you’re just going to be stalking them from now on?
L: Pretty much.
Z: Even though you fully could just text them, being like, ‘Hey guys, I really like your music…’
L: I absolutely do.
Every day.
L: Yeah, they’re like ‘stop texting’.