Bela Takes Chase is a singer-songwriter from Newcastle, Australia, who performs in rock, indie and acoustic styles. She builds songs around a contrast between uptempo and more downbeat material, and her writing is often described as darker in tone, particularly in the lyrics.

Background

She arrives in London from Newcastle, a city also associated with The Screaming Jets and Silverchair, and gains attention on the acoustic circuit there. Her voice and songs bring her early notice, including radio play on Tom Robinson’s show on BBC Radio 6.

Songwriting and sound

Bela Takes Chase says she writes because it is a way to grow and learn. Her influences include Simon and Garfunkel, Bach, James Taylor, Debussy and the Beatles, alongside later listening to Rage Against the Machine, Nirvana, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Bon Iver and Death Cab for Cutie. She aims for a sound between acoustic and electronic music, with a fuller band arrangement, while still keeping quiet songs in her live set.

Releases and collaborations

Her first EP is titled Rough-Luxy, a name taken from the description given to her music by Independent Music News. She is also featured as vocalist and co-writer on Audiofun’s track All For You, which reaches number 8 in club charts, appears on Radio 1 and Capitol dance shows, and attracts more than 22,000 views on YouTube.

Performance and instrumentation

In recordings, she plays guitar, piano and synths, and performs with support from her band while fronting the material with her own voice. Her live set includes both quieter songs and more up-tempo numbers.