Katchafire are once again making their annual pilgrimage to Aussie shores for our reggae delight – this time splitting the trip into two parts, late September/ early October before returning late October through to the first half of November.
This means they get to play two festivals with the 'Miseducated' Ms Lauryn Hill herself, one on either side of the ditch, in between completing their homeland headline tour back in NZ before they return for a string of Australian shows.We talked to Logan, Katchies vocalist (go on, say it with a Kiwi accent), about family and home, and how Australia rests under the golden rays of both ideas.
"[We're] really excited, y'know, we're just blessed to be able to do and continue to do what we love for a living. That's huge to us."
The band feels close to Australia and our music lovers. "It's the biggest place for us, where we get the most love second to our home.
"A lot of our fans started as Kiwis, but over the years they've shared our music with a lot of Australians, and it's great to see our shows now, they're not just Kiwis, it's almost 60-40, 50-50 sorta thing now, which is something I'm proud of.
"You know. . . NZ and Australia, we have all these great sports rivalries, we're quite competitive with each other, but we also have an ANZAC history, and we can come together for the right cause. And I believe that's us as well – we bring together a nice mix of Australians and Kiwis and reggae fans and Katchafire fans when we play there."
Although there are no Aussies in the all-Māori band, they will be using an Aussie horn section on tour here, so Logan jokes they're "blending them in there slowly".
Headline shows here will be supported by Solomon Islanders DMP (Doorman's Project), who the band haven't met yet, but whose reputation precedes them.
Katchafire continues to be a real family affair – started together 26 years ago by Logan's Dad (Grenville Bell, guitar) and brother Jordan (drums), and now including their brother-in-law Leon Davey (percussion, vocals), so we had to ask if they bring their broods on tour with them.
"We do as much as possible. It happens often [in Australia] because we're right next door to each other, so it's not too much to bring the whānau and the kitchen sink.
"It is a tough one, because it's huge – leaving families when musicians go on tour – it's the hardest part about it, wouldn't you agree?
"Especially when you're touring far away from home internationally for a long length of time. It's a tough one because not all of those live environments are family friendly."
Katchafire recently returned from an extensive American summer tour throughout May and June. "It's so important. . . for the soul, that families can come along on that journey."
Asked about whether the NZ scene is more accommodating for those kinds of needs than other places, Logan says: "Unfortunately it's the same all around the world. You're grinding - it's a young man's game.
"It becomes a lot more complicated when you've got a family and you've got other souls to look after, y'know? So yeah. . . there's not too many models of it, too."
While Logan says there still aren't many music venues that cater for family audiences, in contrast, "there [are] family-friendly festivals that are starting to happen now, or just all the big bands get together every now and then: Fat Freddy's Drop and L.A.B., and the atmosphere at those things [is] really cool.
"It's really just about the bands that have family and that's when those environments take place. I do have some friends in California, their band's called Mystic Roots. . . they did it [touring as a growing family] RV style, and now the kids are actually on stage."
As for whether these lads will incorporate the next generation on stage any time soon, Logan was politely vague about that happening, preferring organic growth of their kids' own paths, over parental pressure.
"We just let that evolve naturally in their own time." Sounds like a demonstration of the true reggae gospel: freedom, together.
Come and get some of that soul nourishment for yourself over the 16 dates scheduled for our lucky country, as the band road test a few new tunes from their forthcoming album.
Katchafire 2023 Tour Dates
Thu 28 Sep - Beach Hotel (Byron Bay)Fri 29 Sep - The Tivoli (Brisbane)
Sat 30 Sep - Caloundra Music Festival (Sunshine Coast)
Sun 1 Oct - Promiseland (Gold Coast)
Thu 26 Oct - UOW Bar (Wollongong)
Fri 27 Oct - Lone Pine Tavern (Sydney)
Sat 28 Oct - Metro Theatre (Sydney)
Sun 29 Oct - Dee Why RSL (Sydney)
Thu 2 Nov - Night Cat (Melbourne)
Fri 3 Nov - Kirwan Tavern (Townsville)
Sat 4 Nov - Reggaetown (Cairns)
Thu 9 Nov - The River (Margaret River)
Fri 10 Nov - Port Beach Bar (Fremantle)
Sat 11 Nov - Rosemount Hotel (Perth)
Sun 12 Nov - Leisure Inn (Perth)
