Over the past two decades, The Black Seeds have taken their boundary-crossing reggae fusion to the world. One of New Zealand’s most-loved acts, at home the multi-platinum-selling band are revered stalwarts of the touring and festival circuit, while abroad they’ve spearheaded New Zealand’s internationally renowned roots movement alongside the likes of Fat Freddy’s Drop and Katchafire.
Firmly rooted in the bass-heavy Jamaican sounds that inspired the birth of the band, since 1998 The Black Seeds’ have continued to push the boundaries of reggae without compromising the music’s heart. Seamlessly blending funk, soul, dub and Afrobeat into their reggae foundation, along with their own South Pacific influences, the result is a unique sound that stays true to the bands roots.
Described by Clash Music as “one of the best live reggae acts on the planet”, the band have earned a reputation for rocking dancefloors around the world. With numerous sold-out tours behind them, and performances at the world’s leading festivals, The Black Seeds 8-peice live show brings raw energy and good vibes wherever they go.
Love & Fire is a carefully crafted 10-track album is a “big slice of The Black Seeds’ love and musical heat.” Featuring previously released singles, ‘It’s So Real’, ‘Bring The Sun’, ‘Let The Sunshine Through’, ‘Raised With Love’ and the most recent, ‘Game Over’ – LOVE & FIRE also has four new tracks that are set to hit just as hard!
The title track ‘Love & Fire’, also the focus track with the album release, came about following the online purchase of a prized vintage synthesizer by keyboardist Nigel Patterson, who describes the track as a winning combo of authentic keyboard and synthesizer tones, coupled with a fat rhythm from Jarney Murphy and a killer vocal from Barnaby Weir.
‘Non Justice’ is the contribution of bass player and “legend in the Aotearoa roots scene” Francis Simeon Bassie. The Black Seeds’ Barnaby Weir’s lyrics capture the essence of the music, making a conscious statement that touches on issues of justice, inequality and isolation.
‘Greatest Expectations’ is a gentle uplifting track perfect for those hot summer days, with some wispy organ from Patterson and a layer of “ear candy” paired with classy horn lines from Barret Hocking and Matthew Benton.
‘Mediation’ has a great vocal by Daniel Weetman, supported by a heavyweight band rhythm. This track showcases the band’s versatility as it moves effortlessly from upbeat dancefloor tracks to heavier more conscious material.
LOVE & FIRE began with jams and demos at The Surgery in Wellington, NZ, back in mid-2018, resulting in a “huge collection of ideas and song demos that were to be refined over the next two years to become LOVE & FIRE,” says lead singer, Weir. Originally planned as a classic ‘band-in-aroom’ recording, like many other creative projects, the album took an unexpected turn with the arrival of Covid to New Zealand. Lockdowns saw studio sessions cancelled and bandmates unable to gather – resulting in a lot of zoom-based creativity. Weir and keyboardist Nigel Patterson’s studios became the hubs for pulling everything together.
“Ideally, each member sent in one or two takes of what they were feeling they wanted to add to the track, and this worked well. In some ways – without being together gave the lads that creative mind space to lay down something meaningful,” says Weir.
Since 1998, vocals led by Barnaby Weir and Daniel Weetman have been the driving force behind expressing The Black Seeds message. Conscious lyrics convey personal triumphs and failures, relationships good and bad, and are underpinned by a constant optimism.
The Black Seeds released their debut album Keep On Pushing in 2001, which despite a minimal marketing budget, went on to reach platinum sales in New Zealand.
In 2004, the next album, On The Sun, added a heavy dose of funk and soul to the band’s characteristic dub/reggae sound for the first time. The album reached triple-platinum sales in New Zealand and included one of the band’s biggest singles to date ‘So True’, which was accompanied by a beautifully shot video that captured the essence of summer life at the bottom of the South Pacific.
The third album, Into the Dojo, signaled the beginning of The Black Seeds introduction to the rest of the world after it was released by European label Sonar Kollektiv, garnering critical acclaim and airplay, particularly in Germany and France. The albums hit single, ‘One By One’ was written by ex-band member and co-founder of Flight Of The Conchords Bret McKenzie, and was featured in AMC’s smash hit Breaking Bad and included on the show’s Official Soundtrack. The Black Seeds’ music has also been featured in numerous other TV shows and movies including Weeds, Disney’s Eight Below, and The Inbetweeners II.
The Black Seeds first began making inroads into North America with the 2008 release of their fourth album Solid Ground through Easy Star Records. The album debuted in the top 15 of the Billboard reggae charts and was named Soul Album of the Year by jambase.com’s Dennis Cook. The Huffington Post called it “a damn fine record…thick, bottom-heavy, and melodic.” The album was also supported by a successful U.S. tour with John Brown’s Body.
A live album (The Black Seeds Live: Vol 1) and 2nd remix album (Specials: Remixes and Versions from Solid Ground) followed before the release of 5th studio album, 2012’s Dust And Dirt. Jambands.com described it as “breaking barriers in the bestest of ways with it’s unique blend of funk with a reggae backbone.” The album also received strong reviews in Europe, with Rolling Stone Germany heralding the group as “the best reggae band on the planet right now.” The album was supported by an 80 show tour with performances across three continents, and slots at festivals such as Rock en Seine, Lowlands and Sziget.
2017 saw the band continuing to push the boundaries of reggae with the release of their progressive 6th studio album ‘Fabric’, featuring new guitarist Ned Ngatae and Francis Harawira on bass. The album, which included the popular single ‘’Better Days’’, reached the #3 spot on the Billboard Reggae Charts & NZ Album Charts, number #3 on the UK & German iTunes Reggae Charts, and was described by Clash Magazine as “a broad, vastly creative return..matching lowend weight against some mature, soulful songwriting.”
Around the recording sessions of Fabric, The Black Seeds also found time to tour Brazil for the first time – playing four shows to packed houses in Sao Paulo, Curitiba and Porto Alegre, followed by another US / Canadian tour.
In 2019 the band followed up with the release of ‘REFABRICATED: Fabric Remixes & Rarities’, a 6-track companion EP featuring unreleased tracks from the ‘Fabric’ album sessions as well as remixes/versions from the likes of DJ Mu (Fat Freddys Drop).
Overall the band’s six albums show The Black Seeds’ limitless creative energy for what it is – always progressing without compromising the soul of who they are, and with over 63 million Spotify streams since 2015, their music continues to connect with audiences young and old at home and around the world.
But the band stresses that they focus a lot of energy on their live show. Weir says, “We’ve got our own specific South Pacific flavor that you wouldn’t have heard before.” If that’s true, you’re sure to hear it now, as The Black Seeds continue to reach new audiences the world over the same way they always have – by doing it their own way.
The Black Seeds Live are:
Barnaby Weir (Vocals/Guitar)
Daniel Weetman (Vocals/Percussion)
Jarney Murphy (Drums)
Nigel Patterson (Keyboard)
Ryan Prebble (Guitar)
Francis Harawira (Bass)
Barrett Hocking (Trumpet)
Matthew Benton (Saxophone)