Hi, my name is Ken Grand-Pierre and if you’re a New Yorker who’s reading this, there’s a great chance you’ve seen me at a show. Will Oliver is a good friend of mine and it’s such a privilege having this episode of my podcast, The New Exchange, featured on this blog. The New Exchange is a podcast series that explores how everyone has a story to tell. Throughout the series I interview creatives (mainly musicians) about how their lives outside of work end up influencing their careers.
You might not know this, but back in 2020, there was a rock band playing stadiums while we were all locked in our homes. This was of course happening in New Zealand, the nation that arguably handled the pandemic better than everyone else. The band in question was Six60, a band of five New Zealanders who’ve achieved their highest heights in the unlikeliest of times. Just this past April they played to 50,000 screaming fans at New Zealand Eden Park Stadium, the largest venue in the entire country.
What’s made this victory sweeter is that the guys of Six60 have achieved this success by carving their own path. Throughout the years they’ve been seen as underdogs in the music industry, due to being a band that’s refused to chase trends as they built their dedicated fanbase. That pure love for their craft is reflected in the songs they’ve been releasing throughout the pandemic, which has helped the band reach the ears of more music lovers worldwide. On today’s podcast, I chat with frontman Matiu Walters about what he’s learned from writing these new songs, how it felt being at the center of these mammoth shows, and why family rests at the center of what Six60 are all about.
If you’re listening in the UK and Europe, you’ll be able to catch Six60 live in a few week’s time. Their tour kicks off in Paris on November 18th and they’ll be in that part of the world up to December 4th when the tour ends with a massive show at Brixton Academy in London. Tickets are on sale now, don’t miss out.
Le Badaboum – Paris, France (Thursday, November 18th)
Melkweg Max – Amsterdam, The Netherlands (Saturday, November 20th)
Knust – Hamburg, Germany (Sunday, November 21st)
Gretchen – Berlin, Germany (Monday, November 22nd)
Strom – Munich, Germany (Wednesday, November 24th)
Stollwreck – Cologne, Germany (Thursday, November 25th)
Trinity – Bristol, United Kingdom (Sunday, November 28th)
o2 Academy 2 – Manchester, United Kingdom (Monday, November 29th)
SWG3 Warehouse – Glasgow, United Kingdom (Thursday, December 2nd)
The Academy – Dublin, Ireland (Friday, December 3rd)
02 Academy Brixton – London, United Kingdom (Saturday, December 4th)
You can find The New Exchange available to listen to wherever you listen to podcasts, mainly:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4obMrvoXpGT4wd4VUJlkOa?si=f3f641771db74457
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-exchange-with-ken-grand-pierre/id151729982
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