Katchafire to play Hamilton

Katchafire is on the road again lighting up reggae fans around the country. Twelve years since their debut album Revival dropped, Katchafire is taking nothing for granted and is working hard at ensuring they remain the country’s most successful  reggae band.

The reggae music scene in New Zealand is strong, Bell said. “I think the boys in the last count we did, there are  over 120 reggae bands in New Zealand alone that have popped up over the last three to five years. Per capita that’s probably the most in the world.”

Lead singer Logan Bell says the group is riding the wave of technology change.  “Music moves with technology, you have to keep up with it. The technology in one aspect is hindering sales, [but] that’s also promotion as well.”

But, despite the changes, they are still making  money and growing their fan base  in corners of the world  mainstream media rarely penetrates. “You can’t burn a live show. In one aspect we’re losing money through sales of music, [but] it leaves another niche which is more people know of you and want to see you live.”

When Bell was growing up his father had a left-handed guitar in the house and no one was allowed to play it. He thinks it may have been tapu but that message of “don’t play that guitar” helped fuel his passion so that as soon as he could access the instrument at school he learned how to play. Then his father started to get involved and nurture his talent.

Bell credits his success and humble attitude to a great supportive family. Father to daughters Mya-Lee, 12, Logan, 4, and son Tane, 9,  has been with  wife Leila for more than 10 years.

“We’ve just had an awesome dynamic and an awesome relationship, enough to trust each other, with so much time apart. But not only that, we’ve both come from families that have set that example.

“We’ve always been at this as a family, it’s a blessing. We kind of take it for granted I guess, getting to play with each other. I see a lot of my mates out there that have talented families who have come from musical families and they are always quite envious of that.

They sort of mention that, and I’m like true that, that is a pretty cool thing. And that will probably hit me when I’m not playing with my father or my brother. But I always have so I don’t know anything else. One of our strengths is being able to be brutally honest and work with family.”

When Katchafire started out they never got into it to be famous or make money.  “We did it because we loved it, and because we’d rather be doing that than anything else in the world.”

Katchafire’s message to society is simple. “It’s always been about aroha and rangamarie, peace and love, do unto others how you’d like to be treated, be a good person.”

Katchafire perform in Hamilton at the Altitude bar Friday  June 19, then their final concert will be held at the Powerstation in Auckland with fellow reggae band Kora. Friday June 26. Tickets.