Signs a Kiwi summer is approaching: The clocks go forward for daylight savings, a new range of RTDs is released, and Six60 is about to go on tour.
The boys are kicking things off with a one-off show in Hastings on October 25th, postponed from earlier this year after Shed 530 was affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
"A couple of the boys are from the area, so that's a nice bit of a homecoming," lead singer Matiu Walters told rova.
"I don't know if you felt this," he said to bandmate Chris Mac, "but it felt a little incomplete when we finished the last tour, like knowing that this show was so far down the line."
The Hastings gig-goers are in for a treat, too, as the band will be coming "fresh out of the studio" and "quite possibly playing some brand new music along with some surprises".
Then in December, NZ's biggest band will perform in the super remote Chatham Islands, which at the time of our interview spookily had a population of exactly 660 (according to Wikipedia, which someone probably updated as a gag).
When asked why the Chathams, Matiu replied, "Why not?" (it wasn't because of the population thing, it seems).
"We've done a few of these shows that are off the beaten track, and honestly, we just had the best time. And you're not just going there and playing a show. We're going to be able to soak up and experience the island."
Looking ahead to March 14th, Six60 will headline Homegrown 2026, which will move to a new home in Hamilton. The band is excited to play an "awesome" venue like Claudelands again, but it seems like the iconic festival also acts as a bit of a summer camp for Kiwi musicians to just hang out.
"There are a bunch of New Zealand musos who you know quite well but never get to see. I used to go down to Homegrown even when I wasn't playing," Chris Mac said.
And while he did admit to "stealing some of Dave Dobbyn's rider" one year, that night ended with him getting a front row seat to Dobbyn and Peter Urlich recalling how, as Th' Dudes, they wrote one of this country's most iconic anthems, 'Bliss'.
"I videoed the whole conversation. It's on my phone," Chris grinned.
And that's only the start of the classic yarns the guys told us about being on tour, their funniest fan encounters and most unhinged gigs they've ever played. Check out the videos above to get the full stories.
