Katchafire's most recent singles, 'Circle Back' and 'Whaingaroa’, are so groove-laden, upbeat and intoxicating that they really uphold the unique character of the long-running reggae outfit.
Both are a good indication of things to come, not just with more new material (next single 'Always With You' is out next month), but Katchafire's upcoming Australian tour.Though these singles were released at the peak of New Zealand's pandemic lockdowns, they'd been written several years earlier.
Speaking to 'Whaingaroa' in particular, singer Leon Davey says that because of personal changes in his life, it was the best time for those singles to finally see the light of day.
He moved back to the town of Whaingaroa, the place Leon says the best years of his life happened, after finding he really wanted to make more time to share with his family.
Lockdowns went one of two ways for many musicians – they either felt the impact and got pretty low, or they threw themselves into the thralls of creativity.
Leon was the latter, making the best of everything with a positive change in his life – for the betterment of himself and everyone around him.
"That's a life skill I've got," he says, "to make the best of everything, whether good or bad. If you can do that, you'll do well.
"So that pandemic was a blessing, because, and I'm only speaking for myself, Katchafire had been touring for so many years, six or seven months out of the year, and I felt I was missing out on a lot with my kids.
"I got to a point of really wanting to be with my family. Then the pandemic happened. It was a blessing.
"I had started the songs years ago but hadn't done anything about it, because the record label said it wasn't radio friendly – but once I started writing again, I went back and listened to the lyrics and decided, I've got to get back out to [Whaingaroa] again – so I did."
Leon's relocation also gave him an opportunity to reflect on the band – where they've been, what they've done, and what lies ahead.
"The best thing with the band was, we never had a blueprint for touring the world or creating reggae music and trying to make a living out of it, so we were all pretty much riding the wave and it took us all over the world.
"We knew it was a great opportunity, these things don't happen very often, especially for my people. I got caught up and then as you get older, your priorities change; I'm spending more time with my wife and kids. It's crazy that what I wanted is happening."
Leon had something in his heart he wanted and made it happen. "I think we all have the power to do that," he says reassuringly.
"I don't know if people are scared or think, 'Nah, it's impossible,' but, I mean, I'm not the smartest button in the drawer, but if I have a gut feeling, I just go for it. We all have the power to do that, I believe."
With his heart's desire now manifested, how does the upcoming Australian tour make Leon feel? Guilty, excited, divided? "Not, divided, no way!" he cries.
"I'm in a good place now. Things changed and I've had a beautiful holiday with my family, the band's been taking care of me and my family – I don't have that guilt about going on tour.
"I've spent time with them, now I'm going on tour, and I feel really good about it. I'm very excited, I think we all are."
Katchafire 2022 Tour Dates
Thu 27 Oct - Great Northern (Byron Bay)Fri 28 Oct - NightQuarter (Sunshine Coast)
Sat 29 Oct - Coolangatta Hotel (Gold Coast)
Sun 30 Oct - Island Vibe Festival (Brisbane)
Thu 3 Nov - Plaza Tavern (Melbourne)
Fri 4 Nov - Northcote Theatre (Melbourne)
Sat 5 Nov - Chelsea Heights Hotel (Melbourne)
Sun 6 Nov - Barwon Club (Geelong)
Thu 10 Nov - Finnians Tavern (Port Macquarie)
Fri 11 Nov - Drifters Wharf (Central Coast)
Sat 12 Nov - Dee Why RSL (Sydney)
Sun 13 Nov - Marlin Hotel (South Coast)
Wed 16 Nov - Hoey Moey (Coffs Harbour)
Thu 17 Nov - Shoal Bay Country Club (Hunter Valley)
Fri 18 Nov - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
Sat 19 Nov - Rolling Hills @ Eatons Hill Hotel (Brisbane)
Sun 20 Nov - Reggaetown @ Kuranda Amphitheatre (Far North Queensland)
Thu 24 Nov - The River Hotel (Margaret River)
Fri 25 Nov - Leisure Inn (Perth)
Sat 26 Nov - Port Beach Garden Bar (Fremantle)
Sun 27 Nov - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)
