Irish 4-Piece The Academic Turn Facebook Live Into ‘Loop Pedal’ For New Single “Bear Claws”

Rising Irish 4-piece The Academic have pulled off a first-of-its-kind Facebook Live performance of their latest single “Bear Claws,” using the audio/video time lag to create a mesmerizing visual loop pedal. See for yourself here: https://www.facebook.com/theacademic/videos/1442768049132119/

Here’s how: The band rearranged each instrument on “Bear Claws” to fit Facebook Live’s delay, with each loop getting more complex, adding instruments, rhythms, and melodies. Additionally, by projecting the video live from a soundstage they created an infinite tunnel consisting of all the previously recorded loops.

Frontman Craig Fitzgerald says, “by ‘hacking’ Facebook Live we really pushed our live performance to the next level. Everything had to be timed perfectly. From the musical loops to the choreography.” Pol Hoenderboom, Creative Director who helped the band bring this idea to life, adds, “we noticed a delay in Facebook live from the moment you go live, to the moment it actually shows up on people’s walls. This inspired us and we thought it’d be cool to turn that lag into a video and audio sampler.”

The Academic's rise in the past year and half has been staggering - in that time they've supported The Strokes (at Hyde Park), Pixies, Noel Gallagher, Cage the Elephant, Twenty One Pilots + more, sold out their first-ever UK tour (playing 1500 cap venues), and racked up millions of Spotify plays - all with just a 5-song EP to their name. Their debut LP is out early next year, and next month they’ll launch their first-ever US tour, with Judah & The Lion. Dates here: www.theacademic.net