Adebisi Shank

Adebisi Shank originated in August 2006 as a trio hailing from Wexford and Dublin, Ireland. The group, which bills itself as a “robot rock” outfit, merges math rock driven by frenetic hardcore energy with the expansive reach of post-rock, the unbridled force of heavy metal, and the high-impact pulse of electronic dance music. Shared roots with fellow Irish instrumental outfits And So I Watch You from Afar and Redneck Manifesto reflect a broader national affinity for wordless music, yet the band’s approach aligns more closely with American counterparts Don Caballero and Battles.

Drummer Mick Roe and guitarist Lar Kaye, both formerly of the math-rock group Terrordactyl, launched the project alongside bassist Vinny McCreith, who had been releasing 8-bit electronic material under the alias the Vinny Club. Kaye’s earlier tenure in the Wexford hardcore band Vimanas preceded these activities. The trio tracked its debut EP, This Is the EP of a Band Called Adebisi Shank, with producer James Eager and issued the recording in July 2007 via the local D.I.Y. imprint Armed Ambitions. Later that year the band undertook its first U.K. and European dates alongside labelmates Marvins Revolt, and in 2008 it traveled to Japan to support LITE while Parabolica issued the EP on its legendary roster.

During summer 2008 a grant from the Wexford Arts Council enabled the group to record its first full-length album in Baltimore with producer J. Robbins of Jawbox and Government Issue. This Is the Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank appeared in September 2008 on The Richter Collective, the D.I.Y. label established by Roe and Barry Lennon of Dublin post-hardcore act Hands Up Who Wants to Die; a U.K. release followed in November. In 2010 the band moved to record its sophomore effort with producer TJ Lipple.

This Is the Second Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank surfaced in Ireland and the U.K. in August 2010 through The Richter Collective. The set marked the first appearance of guest vocals, supplied by Jape and Mercury Prize-nominated Conor O’Brien of Villagers. Parabolica handled the Japanese edition in November, after which Sargent House brought the album to the United States and Canada in March 2011. Although short-listed for the 2010 Choice Music Prize honoring the finest Irish album, the release ultimately yielded to Two Door Cinema Club’s Tourist History. A third long-player, titled This is the Third Album of a Band Called Adebisi Shank, followed in 2014 on Sargent House Records.