The 2019 Rugby World Cup was held in Japan, the first time in Asia, and the Japanese national team, the Brave Blossoms, made it to the quarterfinals for the first time, and the final league, in which strong countries fought hard, was a huge success, but there was another welcome by-product for New Zealand music fans!
SIX60, the hugely popular band from Dunedin, New Zealand, who have close ties with the All Blacks, are coming to Japan for the first time!
They appeared at an All Blacks fan event held prior to the All Blacks vs Canada match in Oita, and also performed their first ever showcase live at Veats Shibuya on October 30th.
Tickets for the concert were sold out! On the day of the concert, fans were overflowing with enthusiasm outside the venue!
What is the popular New Zealand band SIX60?
SIX60 is a five-piece band formed in 2008 while the members were studying at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
The members are:
- Eli Paewai (drums)
- Chris Mac (bass)
- Ji Fraser (lead guitar)
- Marlon Gerbes (synthesizer)
- Matiu Walters (lead vocals/guitar)
The band's name, SIX60, comes from the fact that the band members lived at 660 Castle Street in Dunedin. (660 can be read as "six hundred sixty" in English, as well as "six sixty" in English.)
Lead guitarist Ji Fraser said in a 2018 interview:
"This is where we started. This is where it all began. This place means a lot to us."
He said.
↓660 Castle Street where they lived
In 2011, he released his first album, "SIX60," under his own label. Since then, he has won numerous music awards and solidified his popularity.
In February 2019, they held a concert at Western Springs Stadium in Auckland, attracting 50,000 people, the highest attendance in New Zealand.
A band with deep ties to the All Blacks
Hoani Matenga, an early member of SIX60 and the bassist, played rugby with vocalist Matiu Walters and drummer Eli Purway during their student days in Dunedin.
Hoani Matenga went on to play professional rugby and was selected for the Maori All Blacks.
As a result of this, he has had connections with the All Blacks and even appeared at an All Blacks fan event in Beppu, Oita, where the Rugby World Cup qualifier match against Canada was held.
The All Blacks' YouTube channel has uploaded a cute video of the All Blacks playing piano in a hotel lobby while Matiu sings during their stay in Japan.
Veats' first live show in Japan at Shibuya was a huge success, with the venue overflowing with Kiwis
SIX60, who perform in stadiums for 50,000 people in New Zealand, performed at a small live house in Shibuya, so many Kiwis currently staying in Japan gathered on the day.
"It's impossible to see SIX60 so close in NZ!"
As excited Kiwi-accented English was flying around, one Japanese person in the small audience was heard saying, "It feels like we're in New Zealand!"
They performed a variety of songs over the course of about 90 minutes, ranging from hits from their debut to new songs performed for the first time.
The music video for White Line, a 2015 hit that got the crowd particularly excited at live performances, is a must-see for Japanese rugby fans!
This video, which was edited by SIX60 from footage taken by fans, is a little hard to understand, but at 46 seconds and 3 minutes into the video, you can see Tanaka Fumiaki from his time as a player for the Highlanders !!
The Highlanders, the Dunedin-based rugby union team that Tanaka played for from 2013 to 2016, also participated in the video.
At the end of the Veats Shibuya concert, fans performed a Haka from the audience to show their gratitude and respect to SIX60.
SIX60 had a huge success with their first live show in Japan, and we look forward to seeing even more success from them in the future.
The new album Six60 (3) will be released on November 8th!
