Drax Project tour: Local bands wanted to open summer shows

One of New Zealand’s biggest bands is looking for some local talent to open their Hawke’s Bay show.

Drax Project, the jazzy, pop R&B band from Wellington known for their platinum-selling single Woke Up Late, are heading out on tour this summer and looking for the best local talent to open up each show.

The band’s tour will take them to Waihī Beach on December 31, Ōākura on January 3 and Havelock North at Black Barn on January 9, and they want an act from each region on the tour to open up at each gig.

To enter the competition, keen artists, bands, musicians and supporters need to head to Drax Project’s Instagram page, find the competition post on its timeline and tag the band they would like to open for Drax Project in the comments.

The band’s drummer Matt Beachen said the band opening for big acts like Ed Sheeran, Christina Aguilera and Camila Cabello had been pivotal for their career trajectory, and now it was time to return the favour to three lucky up-and-coming acts.

“We just love music and I’m looking forward to discovering a whole bunch of new artists that we haven’t seen yet,” Beachen said.

“The cool thing about these competitions is that fingers crossed, we’ll get lots of comments and lots of suggestions, and we’ll be able to see the support from people who are really keen on their favourite artists to play.

“It doesn’t have to be a young band either. It could be someone’s grandmum who’s, you know, still got something left to prove.”

Winners will be selected on December 12 and will receive free passes to the concert and backstage passes, where Beachen said they’ll be able to hang out with Drax Project and eat all of their food.

“We’ve been doing it a long time now, so hopefully we’re not too boring backstage,” he said.

“You might think that, oh, if we win this competition, we get to go on like a rock star spree, driving around in a limo afterwards but, you know, it might just be a few waters.

“But we’re very open with how we’ve got to where we are, and, we’ve had a lot of people pass down some knowledge as we were coming up that, you know, we’re more than happy to pass on.”

Beachen has a clear idea about what the best stop on the tour is going to be.

“Black Barn is actually the best, and I’m not just saying that because I’m speaking with you, but it is the best venue in New Zealand to play a show,” he said.

“Just the whole atmosphere, the amphitheatre, the weather’s always great. They look after you. They’ve got that little cottage right next to the stage. They’re always putting on feeds, and you kind of just walk from the cottage on to the stage.”

“So [the winner] will be able to hang out with us back there, and, you’ll be able to get your some mates and family in, too.”

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.