Six60 promise new music for delayed Hawke’s Bay show: ‘We loaded our gear into the studio in Auckland yesterday’

Six60's lead guitarist and synthesiser player Ji Fraser, left, and Marlon Gerbes at Shed 530 Estate Winery, the location of their postponed Hawke's Bay show that is currently undergoing upgrades. Photo / Jack Riddell

Hawke’s Bay’s longer wait for a Six60 Grassroots Tour show due to an eight-month delay could well be to the region’s benefit, with the band revealing they’re working on new music in the interim.

Originally scheduled for Saturday, February 8 at Shed 530 Estate Winery, the show was postponed two weeks ago because the cyclone-stricken venue wasn’t ready for thousands to descend, and is now being upgraded.

The band’s lead guitarist, Ji Fraser, said it would’ve been amazing to have played the show this weekend, if they hadn’t run into trouble.

“We knew it was going to be a fight, but we didn’t want to shy away from playing here because it was going to be a challenge,” he said.

“The idea of moving it to later in the year and making it the beginning of next summer was a really exciting idea to us.

“We’re all about helping out communities and areas that have been hit really hard, it’s been part of what we’ve done in the past and it’s awesome to do it again in Hawke’s Bay.”

Synths player Marlon Gerbes, who originally hails from Maraenui, can remember coming to school camps in the surrounding areas around State 530.

“It’s a familiar place and this valley and Eskdale got hit the most and so it’s important to be able to give back to the hometown,” he said.

Currently on tour, Six60 are playing around New Zealand before stepping across the ditch to play Australia.

Fraser says a lot of Kiwis attend their overseas shows, but they bring Aussies, Americans, and all other nationalities to the band’s international dates.

“We just love going anywhere where people want to see us play,” he said.

“Australia is no different.”

Even though Hawke’s Bay fans will have to wait a little longer to see the band, both Fraser and Gerbes believe the show will be well worth the wait, and packed with new songs, as the band is working on their next release in between shows.

“We loaded our gear into the studio in Auckland yesterday,” Fraser said.

“The room’s perfect for what we want to do.

“Without giving too much away, we have a particular vision in mind, and we’re going to go and jump in there.”

“We’ll have new music, we’ll have at least 10 shows under our belt so we’ll be a well-oiled machine, and it will be really good,” added Gerbes.

Six60 now play the revamped Shed 530 Estate Winery on Hawke’s Bay Anniversary weekend, October 25, with Napier-based singer-songwriter Makayla. Tickets are on sale now.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and spent the last 15 years working in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier. He reports on all stories relevant to residents of the region.