Fat Freddys Drop happy to be back in Northland

SWEET SOUNDS: Chopper Reedz will be appearing with his band Fat Freddy's Drop at Northern Bass, a music festival in Mangawhai featuring 52 acts. PHOTO/FAT FREDDY'S DROP/SHANON MORATTI

When Chopper Reedz isn't playing the saxophone, he enjoys a spot of kayak fishing.

And that's exactly what the Fat Freddy's Drop band member - who is also known as Scott Towers - plans to do when he holidays at Langs Beach at the end of January.

But first on the radar for the seven-piece dub-reggae band is performing at Northern Bass - a New Year's music festival in Mangawhai, which kicks off today.

The band are being joined by a host of well-known artists for the two-day gig, including Goldie, Andy C, Noisia, Wu Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah and Pharaoh Monch - to name a few of the 52 acts performing.

Reedz was looking forward to returning to Mangawhai for the festival, which will see Fat Freddy's performing as part of the Log Cabin Beach Party at the Oasis, between 11am and 6pm tomorrow, followed by a performance on the main stage at 9.45pm.

"We've done quite a few shows at the [Mangawhai] Tavern. We know that area of the country pretty well."

For the band's trombonist Hopepa, also known as Joe Lindsay, it will be a return close to home soil. Hopepa hails from Whangarei and is a Kamo High School alumnus.

It will be a flying visit for the band, who are off to perform at the Rotorua Lakefront on January 2, but Reedz is returning to Northland for a holiday with his wife, New Zealand Women's Weekly editor Fiona Fraser, and 7-year-old son Salvador in Langs Beach later in January.

"My son's got some surfing lessons for Christmas and I'll bring my kayak up there and try catch a fish."

The past year has been a stellar one for Fat Freddy's, who not only played their first shows in Thailand and Japan, but also performed alongside Mr Scruff to a crowd of 10,000 people at Alexandra Palace in London in October.

"That was our biggest headline show to date and quite an achievement for us to pull off," Reedz said.

Fat Freddy's fans - dubbed Fredheads - will be excited to know that a new record is in store for 2015.

"We're blocking out the calendar for a good few months to try get this record seriously under way."

It would be similar to the band's latest album, Blackbird, in terms of pushing out the fringes of the Fat Freddy's sound, Reedz said.

"Really expanding the music range, I guess."

The band drew its inspiration from New Zealand as a place, something which featured heavily throughout their songs, Reedz said.

The emotional connection with family was also an important influence.

-Fat Freddy's Drop are performing at Northern Bass in Mangawhai, which starts at 10am today and continues until 5am on January 1.