THE BLACK SEEDS [17:10:07] ISLAND TIMES There's reggae elements, there's ska elements, there's soul. Call it what you may, it's The Black Seeds, and it's good. The New Zealand band is currently on tour, getting ready to hit the Australian shores pretty damn soon according to lead singer Barnaby Weir. “The touring life is pretty amazing. And also pretty well organised, generally,” Barnaby says, through a scratchy phone line from a beach in Wellington. “It's all set up, where they tell us what we'll be eating, they tell us where to be, they tell us about our lives, what we'll be doing next week and the next month. It can be quite challenging, I guess, and sometimes pretty exhausting, but of course it's fun, and definitely worth it. We get to travel, to party, meet people, and look after each other.” Yeah, it's a hard life: touring through Europe, a video shoot in Vanuatu and then onto Stradbroke Island just in time to enjoy the Australian summer and perform at the Island Time Festival. Still, after four successful albums they probably deserve it. But do The Black Seeds feel like they've made it yet? “Yeah, well, we're doing it now, and it's a real honour to be able to do it as a full-time job. You're only as good as your last album, or the last performance, so there's not really a point where you can step down and take it easy. It's just the beginning for us, doing what we love doing.” Their latest album, ‘Into the Dojo’, is their fourth album so far. The group signed with Sonar Kollektiv and Rough Trade, two European labels, and are planning on heading back overseas after their Australian tour. “We are hoping to stay for much longer next time, but first of all we're just looking forward to releasing our second video in a month's time, 'One by One', and of course, to perform at the Island Time Festival. Live performances are what I think we do best. It'll be a lot of good reggae, a lot of good bands, and just a good time, really. And we get to spend time with our fans, who have been so supportive, so that'll be awesome.” Linn The Black Seeds will be performing at the Island Time Festival, Stradbroke Island on Friday October 19. Their latest album 'Into the Dojo' is out now through EMI and Sonar Kollektiv. back to top ^

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