* (CROWD CHEERS) It's just Six60 and their choir of 50,000 strong. (CROWD CHEERS) So are you ready to sing and have a good time tonight? - (CROWD CHEERS) - If you're ready, let me hear you say yeah! - CROWD: Yeah! - # Say yeah! - CROWD: Yeah! - # Say yeah! - CROWD: # Yeah! - I think we're ready, aren't we? (CROWD CHEERS, BAND PLAYS 'FOREVER') Captions by Faith Hamblyn. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2021. (GUITAR INTRO CONTINUES) # Look into my eyes. # It's the start of my demise # of everything I know # and trust. # But we shall rise, # and much to their surprise, # cos we are not the ones # whose time has begun. # Yeah. (MUSIC SOFTENS, ECHOES) (CROWD CHEERS) (MUSIC INTENSIFIES) (MUSIC RISES) # This is forever, # yeah. # Baby, they come, # and they go. # But you know, I know, # this is forever. # Yeah. # What do you wanna play? Let's go for start with Skank or something like that. # I don't wanna be just another lonely, # lonely, lonely soul. Now with retrospect, I can see that my music was always a constant and true love I had. But maybe I just didn't think it was an option. In fact, that's exactly what I thought. I thought that there's no way I would do this. This is just, like, a hobby to have. And then to think that we were the first New Zealand band to do Western Springs and play to 50,000 people, it's crazy. - Oh, you wanna do that? - Yeah, yeah. - We'll just go straight in. - Nah, nah, nah, go. Three, four. (BAND PLAYS 'RAINING') - # Ooh, oh, oh. - Yeah. # Ooh, oh, oh. Ever since you left town... (ACOUSTIC GUITAR INSTRUMENTAL) # The sun has gone away. # Clouds are hanging over me. We'd always talked about we wanna do it together, get to the top. But it was so hard to get all of us on the same path. # ...looking dead to me. There's an internal friction with, I think, everyone in the group's ambition to wanna do something not only great as a group, but individually. # The seasons never change. # Sky, # forever grey. # It's been raining # ever since you left town. Over the years, we were just trying to get better, and the goal is to spread our music throughout the world. But we've gotta be at the same level of great, you know, for it to really work. I want you to grab someone and put 'em on your shoulders. I wanna see a sea of people right now. Let's play that song! (BAND PLAYS 'WHITE LINES', CROWD CHEERS) Six60 ` they really tapped into something unseen in Aotearoa New Zealand on this kind of scale. They created their own genre. I don't know how it works, but it does, and we're sitting there, dumbfounded by these fullas. # The love, the hate, don't hate. This ain't no ordinary life. # We give, we take ` this ain't no temporary high. # The rise, the fall ` this shit is messing with my mind. # I'm up the wall. Now I'm running for the lights. You just can't overstate how enormously popular they are in this country. It's quite common to look at the New Zealand singles charts and see all of the top five be Six60. Every sales-type award, every streaming award, they just dominate. It's so unusual in New Zealand. I don't know how they do it. It is some sort of magic. # Cos now I see the # white lines and blue skies. What do you do when you're the biggest band in a country of 5 million people at the far ends of the world? The only thing to really be motivated for is growth. What do you do to get people to notice internationally? You have to make a pretty loud noise. # Who told you that we can't fly? # We started somewhere around 10 years ago. Back then, it was easy to write music, to enjoy each other, to be friends. The pressure just wasn't there, you know? We were just doing whatever we wanted. # Ooh. # We got to find a way. # Yeah. # Ooh. # We got to find a way. # Yeah. We were in our first year of university in Dunedin, and me, Ji and Hoani just started jamming. From the beginning, we all loved being around each other, you know? Three guitars, it just sounded amazing. And I was like, 'This is what a band is, you know?' And I was just sort of doing the rhythm, sorta, bass lines, because I was the worst guitarist. Playing music together, I think, made us all feel really good. I think there's a magnetism to that. You know, we created, like, a really strong brother bondship. A lot of people's lives alter a lot when you go to university, particularly Dunedin. (AMBIENT MUSIC) (INDISTINCT CHATTER) (GRUNTING) Go! Up! Yes, Hoani! Otago University, and I went down there to join the Rugby Academy, as well as major in law. Right, we've come all this way, and we're aren't here to lose, are we? Put everything you've got into everything, everything you've got into tackles, line breaks... I had managed to pick up a rugby scholarship. I had aspirations of being a Maori All Black. - One, two, three. - ALL: Boom! Rugby is all about brothers, you know - like, the team, the boys. I just loved the feeling of being part of a team and just going hard... (CHUCKLES) on a Saturday, you know what I mean? (WHISTLE TRILLS, CHEERING, APPLAUSE) When you put in the hard work and get that win, it's a good sense of satisfaction. Great try, Varsity! Great try! There's some sort of crazy connection that you get. You're in there, getting dirty and doing the hard yards. It binds you into this environment where you believe in each other, you trust each other. The band was probably born on the rugby field in Otago, with the boys playing rugby together ` that sense of camaraderie, kinship and having each other's backs when times get tough. My first experience with performing, basically, was in the rugby changing room. So in Dunedin, we'd finish a game, and the guitar would come around, and I'd just play, and everyone would sing along. (ALL EXCLAIMING) That was the first time he'd sung in front of more than two people or out of the shower, you know? It was just... Once people acknowledged like, 'Mate, you've got a pretty good voice,' he sort of just got more and more confidence. # Yeeeeah. # Bring me a glass of your finest wine. # I wanna dance till the morning time. # Bring us some food that'll feed our minds. # Drink the moon till we feel the shine. # I'm just too blind to see the signs. # We're losing what we've made. # Know that I'll wait until I'm old and grey # just to see your face again. (ALL EXCLAIM) All right, all right! Argh! (INDISTINCT CHATTER) University, it's 'work hard, play hard' type of scenario. - (RETCHES) - (STUDENTS EXCLAIM) (LAUGHTER) I don't remember those days with much clarity, really. (CHUCKLES) You are learning to live alone, experiencing life and growing. There's a camaraderie down there that sticks with you. (SIX60'S 'FINEST WINE' ENDS) After a year at uni, Matiu, Ji, and myself moved into 660 Castle St. (ROCK MUSIC) At Castle St, every single house is a student flat. It's just 17-, 18-year-old kids all living on one street. (CHEERING) (LAUGHTER) (DANCE MUSIC PLAYS) That proximity coupled with that New Zealand drinking culture ` the outcome's usually inevitable, really. (CHEERING, FIRE CRACKLES) I definitely set fire to a couch, but I never got arrested. (LAUGHS) I got locked up one time for setting a couch on fire, yeah. You're cold down there, you know? You need a heater. (CHUCKLES) (SIREN WAILS) The moment Eli joined was the proper beginning of Six60. Hoani and Matiu were playing rugby with Eli. Eli was super-quiet, hardly said a word, but he just got on with the job. (INDISTINCT YELLING) - (WHISTLE BLOWS) - Fucking awesome try, Eli. Had a little natural flair and some beauty to the way he played. But, yeah, just had that natural rhythm, I guess, you might say. Someone pointed out to us that Eli was actually a drummer. 'Eli!' Eli came around, I was like, 'Are you a drummer? 'We play on your same team. Why didn't you tell us you were a drummer?' And then the next day, we got together in 660 Castle St, started jamming out. It was me, Hoani, Eli and Ji. So we came up with 3MG, which was 'three Maoris and a ginger'. But, you know, deep down, we knew that's really not a name (LAUGHS) we could call ourselves. # See, you're out of touch. 660 was the place to see us play, so we were essentially the 660 Boys. It was all their friends, and they were doing stuff for their friends. It's either, like, an open-mic-night gig, or it's a house party, and we'd all be drunk as well. (CHUCKLES) How good the guys were purely depended on how much they'd ingested before they played. And I'd been to a couple, just in the background, and it was just packed with people, and they were roaring ` absolutely roaring. They started playing, and Eli was spewing on his drums, and he was still playing. (RETCHES, LAUGHS) - Right. Cheers, Castle St! - (CROWD CHEERS) At that point, we had no aspirations. We were just playing covers, really loving being together. We weren't by any means good, but, you know, we got all our bad performances out of the way. Well, not all of them, but the majority of them. - I was seven months' pregnant, and I contracted COVID at a tangi. We spent 34 days in isolation. I couldn't breathe well on my own. I ended up contracting COVID pneumonia. I was the first hapu mama in Jet Park. It was really terrifying for us. I don't want other whanau to have to go through what I've been through. If there's a way that that can be prevented, I would 100% take it. (UPBEAT MUSIC) - BOTH: Hey, Toots! - Hey, sis. - Hey, Mum. Oh, man, I'm so proud of you. - You're off the ciggies. - I don't think we ever thought you'd be able to do this. - One year smoke-free. Six grand saved. Cha-ching! - We're happy that you don't smell. (ALL LAUGH) - You are an amazing role model for your babies. - They're not sick when we're not smoking ciggies. Have you noticed that? - You got this, girl. You can do it. - You're off the smokes. Let's get you on the waka. - We're all behind you. - Want to give up the smokes for good? * (SIX60'S 'LONG GONE') # Aaah, aah. # Yeeeeeah. Gotta have the All Black jersey, signed. It's got Jonah Lomu on it, so that's all that matters. Yeah, like any Kiwi boy, I wanted to be an All Black. Still do. (CHUCKLES) I like to think I was good. But once I got to a level, I just didn't have it in me. I just met the boys and fell in love with playing music. (CHUCKLES) Matiu, I think he sang before he talked. He was the cutest little thing you've ever seen. He had a heart full of love, with a biiiig voice. He could roar, and everyone would think, 'What the heck was that?' I was quite an awkward kid, you know? Intermediate, early high school, I was, like, a little bit overweight and shy. Matiu, he just didn't like to sing around the fireplace. He played the guitar. And sometimes I'd say, 'Oh, come on, Matiu, sing us a song.' But if it was just us, you know, then he'd sing a song. # Me whakaiti tatou GROUP SINGS: # Ko te reo # karanga. # Hoatu - # te aroha. - (LAUGHS) My mother is a businesswoman, an artist and CEO. My father's a lawyer, so, you know, standards were set pretty high. # Ki tenei kainga. Like most Maori families, we grew up being surrounded by music, and then guitar was always around, so I learnt what I could from my dad. The whole Walters family are all beautiful singers. Tahi, rua, toru, wha! ('ME WHAKA ITI' ENDS) My father, he was a composer. He wrote music and played music. He's known mostly, I think, as a rugby player. He captained the Maori All Blacks in the '60s, at the same time was an artist. Dad was part of that, sort of, renaissance of Maori art in the '60s. This is his work here. This is from him too. Definitely inspired by my family, and I feel like I'm part of a lineage that I want to maintain, which is the mighty Walters. (CHUCKLES) Yeah. Every once in a while, I like to paint, keep the juices flowing. But it's just such an easy way for me to be expressive. And cheap gifts too, you know? For Christmas and stuff. (CHUCKLES) This is a good way to challenge yourself to, you know, practise not overthinking things. Just go in there and just start. Just go at it. But that's definitely something I struggle with, particularly with music, you know? Matiu has a lot of Muru instilled in him. You work hard, follow your dreams. You never stop learning. There must be a competitive nature, eh, that holds you together, that says, 'I'm better than that,' or, 'I'm better than that.' 'I can do that, even if I don't do it successfully. ' (CHUCKLES) Yeah, at least you want to do it. Yeah. Do you think about how there's, like, a lineage of what you did and now what all your mokopuna are doing? All I do is to sort of value the fact that, in your life, you are doing something creative, eh? My father, he was a competitive man, and he'd kinda set, I guess, the standard for us in that respect, you know? We're all very competitive people. It was definitely my dad who said, like, 'Look, if you're gonna do this, just know this. 'If your goal is to play at the pub down the road, 'then you're only ever gonna play at the pub down the road. 'So if you're gonna make goals, they better be bigger goals 'than anyone's ever achieved. So what are you going to do?' # Tell me, # do you know what this is? # Cos I feel like I'm flying, flying. # I feel like I'm flying, yeah. # Good morning. # How do you feel? # Cos I'm ready to dive in, dive in. # I'm ready to dive in, yeeeah. # This champagne's # overdue. # I can't help myself. # One thing # I wanna do # is get closer to you, # closer to you. # Closer, closer. # Closer, closer. # When we started, Kora, Katchafire, Shapeshifter, Fat Freddy's, they definitely, like, inspired us, because we used to just cover all their shit and call ourselves a band. (LAUGHS) (CROWD CHEERS) This next track is called Someone to be Around. (CROWD CHEERS, BAND PLAYS 'SOMEONE TO BE AROUND') Like, it's all good being a covers band, but you wanna test as a band how your own music will go down. And Matiu and Ji were really pushing for that early on. (BAND CONTINUES PLAYING 'SOMEONE TO BE AROUND') # I've spent my last ounce of hope. # I've got nothing to show for a while now. # But if you throw me a rope, # I might be able to cope with the down and out. # Wish I could float. The water's up to my throat. Ji, sometimes he'd leave his writing books around, and I'd read through them, and (LAUGHS) he probably didn't know about that. # I just need someone to be around. # Whoa, # someone to be around. Ji is not a massive talker. You know, there are probably some things that he feels that he can't say without the music. (SIX60'S 'BREATHE') (CHILDREN SCREAM) Upbringing was pretty humble, really - farming-focused. Not a lot of material things, but a large amount of love and support. James was quite a sensitive boy, but quite determined to do what he wanted to do. You could have a battle on your hands. (LAUGHS) It tested my patience at times. KIM: Be polite. This is a memory. Always had to remember that the other side of stubbornness is determination. He could have gone in any direction, really, cos he was good at sports; he was good at his schoolwork and quite artistic, so he did have a few talents. (GUITAR AMP HUMS, DOOR CREAKS) - KIM: Do you want me to film you? No. - Why? - I don't need you to. - Why? - LAUGHS: Cos it's going now. - Is it on me? - Yeah. SIMON: We both recognised quite early that he did have a talent with the guitar. (PLAYS GUITAR MELODY) He just got so good so quickly. It was like he played it in another life, but it's not like that at all, because he really did practise quite a lot. Looking at my father and watching him work so hard and be heartbroken sometimes through what he was doing on the farm. It can be a really hard job. Probably buried with all the work, to be quite honest. I don't think he enjoyed seeing me run around like that. It was a lesson that there's better ways to make a living, really. It was something I think my dad really loved and then really got over. And I had decided that I wasn't gonna do something that made me feel that way about my life. (BOUNCY ACOUSTIC GUITAR MUSIC) Writing music and being creative was really what I wanted to do. SIMON: He said, 'Oh, I'm playing in a band with a few boys.' And I was actually quite horrified at the time, cos I know quite a few people in bands and no one seemed to do particularly well at it. And so, yeah, no, I wasn't very pleased, to be quite honest. - Oi, Ji! - Yeah. It was the third year of flatting together, and, yeah, Ji had to go home, and we needed that lead guitarist role to be filled while he was away. When Ji left, kind of, Marlon, just... slid his way in. (LAUGHS) (TINKLY MUSIC) (CRICKETS CHIRP) You haven't been brushing your little one's baby teeth, have you? That can mess up their adult teeth, eh. Pretty easy to avoid, really ` just a little bit of fluoride toothpaste, Open up. Just gentle brushing morning and night ` to protect their smile. Spit! Good man. I'm gonna now. Nigh-nighs. * (SIX60'S 'DON'T FORGET YOUR ROOTS' PLAYS) I remember when I first heard their originals. And I was, like, 'These songs are great.' And I remember Don't Forget Your Roots being really good. When I learnt it on guitar, even, I was like, 'This is really simple, but effective.' Well, this next song was written at number 660 Castle Street, - up on the top floor. - (CROWD CHEERS) We're gonna do it for you right now. Marlon, he just came up after we played and said, 'I'm keen to jam with you.' I said, 'Sweet, come round, then. Have a jam.' He really wanted to be a part of the band, that's for sure. (CHUCKLES) # Whoa, whoa, yeah. # Don't forget your roots, my friend. # Don't forget your family, yeah. # Don't forget your roots, my friend ` # the ones who made you, the ones who brought you here. # Don't forget your roots, my friend. # Don't forget your family, yeah. # Don't forget your roots, my friend. # Yeah, whoa. When I came back down, it was essentially, like, there was this guy playing synth in the group. That's a new element. There was a bit of tension. He knew that I'd come into cover, now I'm in the band. It was definitely testy for a bit, cos it's, like, 'Who's this dude coming in?' (CHUCKLES) # Don't forget your roots, my friend, # the ones who made you, the ones who brought you here. # Don't forget your roots, my friend. # Don't forget your family, # yeeeeah. # (CONTINUES VOCALISING) (PERCUSSIVE MUSIC) My upbringing kind of taught me to be super-aware of my surroundings, because I was kind of fearful for my safety. (TYRES SQUEAL) Yeah, 15-year-old me would walk through here from school. This is the hood, and you kinda never know when it's gonna kick off here. Going through high school, we were in this place called Maraenui in Napier, which is pretty much the hub of the Mongrel Mob. Dad was one of the founding members of the mob. He started at the very beginning in the early '70s. The Mongrel Mob are New Zealand's oldest and most feared gang ` a lot of criminal behaviour and dealing drugs and violence towards other gangs, especially the Black Power. (DOG BARKS) I think people struggle to find empathy for Dad cos of his violent background. I spent 30 years in jail, on and off. I spent a long time in jail before I changed my lifestyle and my ways. This one here, back in my Mongrel Mob days, and these are all Mongrel Mob friends of mine. What were they called back then? - Oh. - Petone Rebels? Petone Rebels, yeah. Ooh! Good memory. Yeah, we were Petone Rebels, yes. And that's Marlon there, my son Marlon. I put all my kids through not to live the life I did ` jail, fighting, stupidity. When mum was having me, she didn't know she was pregnant till, I think, six months. Biological dad, she doesn't really remember who it was. And then as soon as I was born, she caught the eye of my dad. Before Dad came into the life of Mum and I, he was into drugs, fighting, womanising. Mum kinda pushed him to, you know, get a stable job. And, yeah, I think he fell in love for the first time. Dad was really trying to be a family man ` pretty much giving up the gang life. You know, I got the good part of him. - (GRUNTS) - Stand there, Marlon. Dad loves ya. Don't hurt yourselves now. (GIGGLING) Be careful now. - I'll have one, Dad. - Yeah? How many teabags do you have, son? - I'll just have one. - Eh?! - Yeah. - I have three! - LAUGHS: Do you? - (LAUGHS) - You're good. In the Mongrel Mob, you were telling me that you guys met in the social welfare homes ` those bunch of friends? Yeah. We all met in Epuni Boys' Welfare Home. The system that was supposed to be helping us was abusing us ` physically and mentally, some people sexually, you know? My motto was, 'The system can shove it.' - I had a hatred for the system, of how they were treating us. - Yeah. And what they were doing to us as young kids. Actually, I can remember I was in court for punching a policeman over. Judge, he goes, 'And where's the rest of your mongrel mates?' I said, 'What do you mean, calling my mates mongrels? Who the fuck do you think you are?' Excuse my language there. 'Who the fuck do you think you are, calling my mates mongrels? From now on, we will be mongrels, and you're gonna wish you never, ever called us that. And that's how we started. I often thought if my lifestyle ever impacted on you and brought you into the situation you're in now. - Yeah, it did. - Yeah. I've been thinking about this for a while now, Dad. I remember you used to talk about the gang stuff, but you used to talk about stuff that resonated with me. It was like, 'Be loyal to your family. 'Don't let anyone walk over you.' You used to talk a lot about brotherhood. And so, it's those things that impacted me - - the strength,... - Yes. - ...the courage,... - Yes. ...not letting anyone walk over you. I kind of took that strong will. Strong. Oh yes. Very strong. Getting out of this gang environment, the poverty, education was a revelation. I'm like, 'That's my way out.' I stared my degree in Engineering. I had to study my arse off, and I left with Engineering with Honours. At the same time, though, there's a part of me that had always wanted to make it as a musician. I've always dreamed of being onstage, a lot of people, the admiration and the great songs. (BAND PLAYS 'FREEDOM') I did have quite a big belief the band could go a long way. But, when you're in a band, you have to rehearse before you play the show. And I remember that being completely foreign to the guys. We never rehearsed. He was like, 'K, now we have this gig, 'and we're gonna rehearse these days.' I was like, 'Why would we need a rehearsal? 'We just show up and play.' But that level of professionalism and purpose, really, actually drove the band into a different realm. (BAND CONTINUES PLAYING 'FREEDOM') So they were in their last year of uni. We had all made plans for what we were gonna do next. You're gonna be an engineer; I'm gonna be a lawyer. So we may as well record the music as a remembrance of our moments at Otago University together. Marlon booked all these shows to get our chops up. And then we go into the studio with heaps of beers, and I dunno how it happened, but we just were in that room, and all these songs came out of it. # This was not enough. # Be the first to call the bluff. # Who said it's freedom? # Ooh. # Freedom, freedom, freedom, # freedom time. # Yeah! It was a very raw, authentic sound. Like, we were just going straight from flatting into the studio with no outside influences. It was just us. First thing we ever recorded. This is where it all began, literally. Eli and I did some research and found that a good way to get your music out there is to make a press kit. Eli and I, we had the same ambitions. He had this, like, very entrepreneurial sense back then, into Tony Robbins and stuff like that. We were the... kind of the leaders of the band back then. Eli. (READS) Growing up on a farm in the South of Hawke's Bay, I never thought I'd be playing music and having so much fun doing it. For me, there's nothing better than playing live. You know, we'd finished the record and put it on Facebook. We all left university - finished. Eli went about hustling the EP They were dropping them off at people's houses. Trying to see what could happen, cos it's exciting to think about the possibilities. - (BAND PLAYS 'DESPERADO') - Whoo! I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce the band. And first, on the drums, is the prophet, your silent assassin. Coming at you from Dannevirke, it's Eli Paewai! He was a good kid - always has been. When Eli was a young lad, I bought him the drumset, and that's where he learned to play it - here. That used to drive me nuts - banging away on that thing. I didn't think much of it at the time, but... So it all... Just as well I didn't say too much then. All the other kids, they had a mum and dad that were mum-and-dad age. (LAUGHS) And I had grandparents. It was my son who came to me and said, 'Mum, do you think you could... 'bring him up, eh?' I said of course! I'd be lying if I said I didn't hold on to a bit of anger towards my old man. But I don't feel like I missed out on much, to be honest. If anything, I... gained more. Jump up there. Are you gonna have a roll or some bread? Which one do you want? He came straight from the hospital when he was 2 weeks old. It pretty much was the best day of my life. I always wanted to have children, so it was a way for me to have that. Auntie Rebecca, she's done everything that a mother does for her son. (GENTLE MUSIC) REBECCA: What I say to him is he's so lucky because he has my father as his role model. And, I mean, you just couldn't get a better man than that. ELI: My grandad, he's a very calm guy. very accepting. He's taught me to work hard,... look after your friends and family. I guess I try to do all those things in the band. I don't think he was ever gonna be a farmer - let's put it that way. He was just different to all the other boys. They were out, shooting rabbits and things like that. He was never interested in that sort of thing. I think I knew when I was, like, 8 or 9 that I was a lot different to, like, my cousins. I just wanted to do other, bigger things. (BOY LAUGHS) MATIU: Eli is like the rock, you know? So quiet and reserved, but he's so loving and so thoughtful. He doesn't say a lot, but his words carry a lot of weight. JI: A quiet, caring, powerful guy. (SIX60'S 'CHOICE OF THE CHOSEN') Back when we first started, I did wonder, think that maybe we had something. think that maybe we had something. * # Choice of the chosen, # yeah. # Choice of the chosen, yeah. Dunedin really helped them. It was years of playing live to an audience of their peers who all went back to their home towns, taking with them their relationship with this band. And they became like, sort of, influencers. # When the people of the power meet the power of the people, # then it changes every hour of the day. # All you need is one man with his head in the sand # to rise up and say... # Facebook was a way of bypassing record labels and just going straight to fans. # Yeeeah! We put on our first little tour. Little venues, but they were just, like, ram-packed. You'd just feel the excitement in the room. It was like, you know, 30-minute set, played Roots, like, twice, cos we couldn't fill the time. It was a good six months of shows. And then every show we did, there was a lot of momentum. We were getting shows all round the country. That was really the moment everything started changing. The realisation of who we are and what we're actually doing. And that deserved a level of commitment and respect. It was getting past the point of just getting pissed and playing. Other people were paying money to see you. It was full-time, you know? A band with aspirations requires 100% commitment and dedication. I was given a ball ever since I could walk. At the time, it was, sort of, the start of my rugby career. I was contracted with the Highlanders. I mean, I was playing gigs till 3am, and then having to play a professional game on Saturday, and that wasn't going (CHUCKLES) down too well with the coaches. # Only to be, # I live in expectancy. # No wonder it feels # like this wasn't meant for me. It was hard to have to decide at such a young age, you know, what path you wanted to take. It was pretty tough. Both things, I was passionate and loved doing, you know? # Now that it's clear to see # it was all in front of me. I remember a conversation with Marlon. He was, like, 'Look, where do you wanna be? And I was like, 'I wanna make that Maori All Blacks Team.' He was like, 'Sweet, I wanna... we wanna pack out stadiums.' And I was like, 'That's it.' CROWD AND MATIU SING: # Yeah, well, I know that it's worth the ride. I'm believing. # Ain't it good to be alive? (PLAYS GUITAR RIFF) # So what will it be? # My dreams are my company. # To lose what is me, # I follow this path I see. 12 years later, after I made that decision, I finally made the Maori All Blacks. (MAORI ALL BLACKS PERFORM HAKA) Two months later, got onstage with the boys in Dunedin in front of 30,000 people. After 12 years off, it was just incredible. I've got no regrets, and, yeah, just grateful for the opportunities, really. CROWD SINGS: # Yeah, # well, I know that it's worth the ride. Oh yeah! # Ain't it good to be alive? It's weird to be in the biggest pop band in New Zealand, cos I was kind of a punk guy. (PLAYS ELECTRIC GUITAR) Chris, I think he had just been fired as a music teacher from a primary school, like, down the road, so I think he needed the gig. (LAUGHS) CHRIS: This song is relatively new. I'm gonna be looking at words. I'm gonna be getting them wrong. I'm gonna be getting the chords wrong. And at some point, in the distant future, this song will be finished, and you'll go, 'Ah!' 'I barely recognise it.' # I've been fooling myself for days. # And I'm quite convinced # that nothing else has changed. MATIU: Chris is so talented in so many different areas ` super-musical. Could play the piano, was an amazing bass player. Really knew a lot about music in areas that, like, we didn't. He could probably actually read music. That's probably a good start, yeah. (LAUGHS) So, I grew up in Darwin, Australia. I lived with my grandparents and my dad. They're all performers. That's all we did. I'd go to church and play in the band. We'd put on plays. All I wanted to do was be onstage or be on camera. I never thought I wasn't allowed to do something really great. (SPRAY CAN RATTLES) So I didn't grow up with my mum. I think I'd seen her a few times up until about the age of 5, and then maybe a couple of times after that, but I didn't know her. I got a phone call one day from my mum. She said, 'Do you wanna come to New Zealand and meet me?' I said absolutely. So I went to Invercargill. (CHUCKLES) And kinda just fell in love with New Zealand pretty quickly. Something about New Zealand kind of grabbed me. You know, I ended up meeting my wife. Met Mel through church. We got married young. Quick and young, which is the way you do it in the Christian church. And in a very short amount of time, we had Stella, and then moved to Dunedin. (SIX60'S 'HOLD UP') I'd never heard of Six60, but they were auditioning. They'd got a, you know, handful of paid gigs. So I walked in with my bass, and I think I may have been the only person to turn up with a bass. (CHUCKLES) He was just such an outsider. He was, like, a bit older. He had just had a kid, and he was, like, heavily into the church. (LAUGHS) He was... He was just not rock and roll to me, eh? They loved rugby. They'd talk about boxing. I was, like, 'What are you guys talking about?' They loved music, but they weren't musicians. And so it was weird for me to fit in, cos I'd only ever hung out with the wanky muso clique. (LAUGHS) (BAND PLAYS FUNK MUSIC) Chris was a real performer. He brought a real sense of movement and expression to the show. Before then, we'd just kind of stand there. I mean, I thought we, like, performed hard onstage. This dude is, like, jumping around and, like, running all over the stage. Can we pick it up now? Can we pick it up? You gotta be ready to do this, man. The night's still young! (CROWD CLAPS RHYTHMICALLY, ELI PLAYS DRUMROLL) (PLAYS GUITAR SOLO) When I came in, they had a real following. It was kinda nuts. This band that no one had ever heard of. They weren't on the radio; they weren't on the TV. And that kinda got everyone's ears pricked. (JI CONTINUES PLAYING GUITAR RIFF) We were getting a lot of attention. All the shows were selling out. At that stage, we could fly from Dunedin to Auckland, play a sell-out show to, like, a thousand people, and then fly back. I remember first hearing about them, and it seemed almost cute. Like, this, sort of, Dunedin student band, selling tickets and CDs direct to fans. And for them to book a thousand-capacity venue, it almost seemed like a mistake. Everyone I knew in the music industry at the time was just, sorta, head rocks back in the seat. Things started turning up a notch. We decided, yeah, we're gonna get professional management, professional tour managers, techs and soundmen, lighting people ` you know, like, a whole crew. (CROWD CHEERS) That really took the party that was Dunedin to, like, a whole other level. (BAND PLAYS 'MONEY') I, sort of, went along and checked it out. The vibe was massive. It was sold out. Lots of kids. Everyone's going off, everyone having a great time. But that performance, it was rough. Let's just (LAUGHS) say it was rough. There was a fair bit of drinking going on. Definitely didn't result in the best shows. I think for some people, it was maybe a coping mechanism, not feeling super comfortable in themselves being onstage. I think we've all been guilty at some point of masking our anxieties and dealing with that in bad ways ` like drinking too much before a show because you're nervous, and you don't have the self-belief to walk out there and just do it. The magic about alcohol is that you think you're doing great, but, really, in reality, it's not doing that at all. There's no other reason to drink that much, other than you're scared. We were all like cowboys at the time, and we needed to become professionals, you know? Drinking before the show, being drunk during a show, was a problem. Then we just threw ourselves in the deep end. It was just, like, no drinking before shows until we become comfortable with that feeling. until we become comfortable with that feeling. CROWD CHANTS: Six60! Six60! (CROWD CHEERS) Ladies and gentlemen,... (CROWD CHEERS) ...we go by the name Six60! # It's taking all your might # to get over all this strife. # Don't let them tell you how to treat your life. # But as sunshine brings the day # and the darkness starts to fade, # won't you stand up, rebel? # Won't you show them you know how? - # Won't you rise up? - (CROWD CHEERS) # Won't you rise up? It was about a year later I saw them at Homegrown. What blew me away is seeing this crowd, 8000 people strong, they knew all the words. And I'm, like, 'Is this song out?' It's not even out.' And the kids are singing. 'Is this song out?' It's not even out. And they were singing almost the whole set, just yelling lyrics back. And I was, like, 'How is this even possible? How is this going on?' And it made me really think, like, this is something I've never seen before. You know, when you've got a massive audience like that, who are just dying to get their hands on some of your music, it's such a powerful position to be in. And so, it was that point there that we planned a couple of weeks in the studio. You know, it was about capturing where they were at that time. (SIX60'S 'WINDY DAYS') The first album was really fun. We had no idea (CHUCKLES) what we were doing. We just had to write all these songs, cos we needed to fill an album. We decided that we wanted to get away and isolate ourselves. We had a set-up in the corner ` drums, synths and all the amps ` and just got to it. We wrote everything, pretty much, from that entire gold album. Some of the songs I'd written; some of the songs Mat had written, I think some Marlon had written too. You can probably hear it as well ` the different styles that are sitting within that body of work. We were all full of aspiration ` the way we were connecting, the way the music was coming so effortlessly. You could really feel like something special was happening in the room. And I remember having a real sense of euphoria, like, a real sort of sense of excitement that we were... you know, all of a sudden, there was a future for us. Recording the album with Tiki Taane, it allowed us to work together for probably the very first time as a band. When it was time for your song, you drove it. But the thing is Matiu had to sing all of them. That's when he started kinda getting serious, because he had to bare his soul in all the songs, even though that... some he didn't like, some he did. # I saw the way # you took it on yourself # just to push it away. There was kinda, like, some pressure. I had to try and change myself to fit into the lead role, taking the reins and trying to drive the ship. (BAND PLAYS 'RISE UP', CROWD CHEERS) MATIU AND CROWD SING: # Won't you rise up? # Won't you rise up? # Won't you rise up? Baby, it's a revolution. # Won't you rise up? # Won't you rise up? # Won't you rise up? Baby, it's a revolution. That first album, they kinda broke the charts, really, eh? It was, like, Six60 here, and Six60 there, Six60 there. It was pretty amazing. It went to number one and certainly launched us into the public eye. # Oh, nah, nah. - # Yeah. - (BAND CONTINUES PLAYING 'RISE UP') Highest selling album, - Six60. - (CROWD CHEERS) - Six60! - (CROWD CHEERS) I just wanna thank all the scarfies in Dunners, cos they are the big reason why we got here. When you have the biggest album in the country, it's kinda, like, 'Oh yeah, we've arrived.' But in the industry, I don't think we had earned respect yet. And Single of the Year goes to Six60! I think the 2012 Music Awards, Six60, who were easily the most popular band in the country, probably the most popular band in decades, won six awards and got almost no coverage out the back of it. Kimbra! We won a record amount of awards. We took home six, and Kimbra took home five. And I remember getting the newspaper the next day, and the big headline was 'Kimbra's Big Night', and also, like, a smaller footnote, saying Six60 did pretty well. So it was interesting to see the way they portrayed that evening. A lot of people in the industry, I think they were just kind of, 'What the heck?' You know, 'Hang on a minute. Who the fuck are these guys?' LAUGHS: You know what I mean? Six60 had been targeted by the critics and the industry even, because just how quickly it all happened for them. And I even got shit from some of my friends when I was working on the record. Like, 'What are you doing that for, Tiki?' I'm like, 'What, man? They're good kids, man. 'These are good kids, and they've got some great songs.' Unfortunately, New Zealand is the worst for tall poppy syndrome. They're like big fish in a small pond here, and people just like to bring you down just because. One moment, we're, like, these underground darlings. Like, we're this band, kinda out of nowhere, pulling, like, a thousand people. And then all of a sudden just, 'These guys, they're fully trash.' And it was this kind of whiplash of like, 'But wait, I thought people kinda liked us.' READS: 'Six60 ` killing music since 2006. 'Six60 is hugely popular, but it's impossible to know why or how or what for. 'It's a cruel and punishing second wave of BBQ reggae, 'a whitewash of never-quite-brown-enough sounds. 'It's music for people who don't like music.' I was shocked, really, to see that there could be so much negativity towards people just doing good and doing what they loved. My initial reaction was kind of a personal one, I guess. You feel personally attacked. But it became a kind of sport for critics ` to figure out even more creative ways that you could diss Six60. And I include myself in this ` you know, late 20s, early 30s, white-guy critics just absolutely bagging this band. It was just so unnecessarily nasty. It was like a competition to see who could be the biggest arsehole about them and, like, come up with the coolest... slag. People were saying we're, like, BBQ reggae, that... or we were, like, an electronic Kiwi band who were just imitating and copying people. (CROWD CHEERS) KANOA: That music that was being made at that time that everybody was showing up to music festivals for was brown music ` like, Aotearoa roots music. And the gatekeepers of music criticism in New Zealand, there's a lot of Pakeha, middle-aged dudes who maybe aren't feeling that. A lot of the comments were borderline racist. So I'm, like, 'Fuck you. 'You don't know who we are and what we're trying to do.' I can completely understand where Matiu's coming from. This is something that I've fully experienced my whole career. They look at you ` Maori. 'Oh, you're a Maori artist.' I was like, 'I'm a Maori who is an artist.' # Look into my eyes. # It's the start of my demise. Music does not have a colour. # ...of everything I know and trust. For Maori, when you try and box us in, we're gonna break out. # But we shall rise, # and much to their surprise, # cos we are not the ones # whose time has begun. # Oh, oh. People just had a perception ` # Yeah. ...we were a Maori roots and reggae band who would never take on the world. But we were just five guys from different backgrounds who grew up in New Zealand in a real Kiwi way. You know, its like... It's as authentic and simple as that. # This is forever, # oh, yeah. # Baby, they come, and they go. # But you know, I know, # this is forever, # yeah. # All the criticism really did was make us more ambitious. - (BAND PLAYS 'RUN FOR IT') - # Yeeeah! Whoo! The next step was trying to break territories outside of New Zealand. A lot of talk about, you know, how big we can take things, then to write the new album. We went to Europe for the first time, and it was awesome. Those were some of the most fun shows. We did heaps of gigs ` some of the best memories I had. Even though we had somewhat become professional, we still wanted to party, and, you know, it was like our OE. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) We were having a ball on the road, you know? We were getting great numbers through most of Europe. Then we got interest from a label in Germany. They offered us a record deal. We took it. We thought we were gonna be the biggest band in the world and moved to Germany. (LAUGHS) Signing a major record deal is quite a big achievement. We're just gonna commit; we're going to play live; we're gonna write, and we're gonna make it happen. We're gonna be fuckin' U2 or fucking Chili Peppers, you know? Yeah, so we all just packed up and moved to Berlin. (SIX60'S 'FOREVER - TECHNO REMIX' PLAYS) We signed this deal with this label that we thought enjoyed our music. As it turned out, not so much. There was a funny moment, actually, when we just arrived, and they sprung on us a surprise that they've redone Forever. # This is forever, # yeah. And it was, like, this Euro house, just (BEAT-BOXES). And then they look at us like, 'How great is this gonna be - 'like, this smash?' And we just said, 'That... Like, it sucks. 'What are you even thinking?' You know, 'Have you heard your music before?' So that's basically how the relationship started. So, yeah, it was kinda doomed from the beginning. (ENGINE REVS) Assertive ` that's how I describe my driving. On the open road, you're aiming for about 10 to 15 above the road sign. Nah, nah, passengers don't get to call the shots. I'm the one driving, so I choose the speed. (WEATHER REPORT PLAYS ON RADIO) (ENGINE REVS) If you wanna drive, then you can drive. That's what I always fire back. They just don't understand how you can drive quickly and safely. If anyone tells me to slow down, I give them the same response every time ` my car, my rules. (ENGINE REVS) * Trying to write new music, and then dealing with the label issues, the band started to kinda unravel. We couldn't connect. I think we had different ideas about what we were trying to do, different ideas about whether there was a hierarchy... (CHUCKLES) in place or not. And it was a horrible situation, creatively. There was just, like, this friction from our success in New Zealand coming into this environment where we were so vulnerable. I think we were just too young and ill-equipped. The only thing that we had was our egos, you know? (SIX60'S 'MARKS ON THE WALL') There was this massive shift with Matiu, and he started to, like, really take charge of writing songs. Matiu really had a strong vision for what he wanted, and I think that became difficult for people who didn't know what that was. Everything had changed. There was expectation, momentum to keep. And once I had a little taste of the success, I just- I wanted it to grow. And so I was just forcing it and feeding it, you know? Every time I would put something forward, Mat would be, like, either, 'I'm gonna beat it,' or, 'No, we're not doing that.' (SIX60'S 'MARK ON THE WALL' CONTINUES) (MATIU GRUNTS) It just felt like we went from being friends to being competitors - two rocks just banging and banging and banging. Just ones, eh? We're both very headstrong, both very confident at times, so it just meant when it was time for decision-making, you know, we would bump heads on who was the person to make the decision, not necessarily what the decision was. (BOTH PANT) That was a real mental test for this group - a hardship that- you know, the scars are still there in some way or another. After six months being in Germany, we didn't have any agreement on anything. I hate being in a room with five dudes trying to, like, pull a song every which way they can. So I just kinda tried to be there for the guys. And I think that's what a lot of bands that break up - they just don't stick in the tough times. Instead they just throw their toys, and, like, they bounce. The deal went down, and then we kinda came back with our tail between our legs. Everyone was trying to figure out how they fit into the band. We just couldn't be creative together. For me, I separated a bit, cos I needed a bit of space. # Cos I'm not lost. # I just want you # to find me. That whole German experience took me down a pretty bad path. It was getting to a point where I felt like I had lost touch with the music. I couldn't really connect to it. And then I just had a panic attack. Just had... Just started sweating and couldn't breathe, and just felt like hallucinating almost. It was weird, and I knew then that something massive had to change - you know, what I had to do in order to regain control of my emotions, really. (PIANO MUSIC PLAYS) Rich ass motherfuckers. (INDISTINCT CHATTER) # Run away. # I feel better when you're around. # Got me thinking # fantasy. Matiu wasn't just feeling it. He just wasn't happy. He was going through a pretty rough patch then. I was my optimistic self, and I was just like, 'Oh man, we just gotta get after it, 'and we just gotta be organised and just go for it.' And that was the first time we connected. We created this writing relationship that has flourished since that time. # It makes me better MATIU AND MARLON SING: # when you're around. # And I've been thinking # all alone # that we got a good thing # going on. # Oh, oh, oh, oh, we... # Fuck yeah. At a point where I was like, 'I'm sick of dealing with the attitudes and all of that,' that's when Marlon came home and continued to work on the album. And, you know, to their credit, man, like, they really hung in there. We were just in there, enjoying ourselves, and the passion really came back. And then, we started collaborating with other people. # Silver lining - # can be hard to see. - Oh, I like that. - # But now I've found it. - Oh yeah. - Right, right, right. - # It's the way. We'd met Printz Board. He was in Black Eyed Peas. He'd written 'Where is the Love?'. He'd written all these number-one hits. So he'd, like, been there, you know - where we wanted to be. Yup. That's the song, guys. - Stay Together. - Yup! - Stay together. Print! Clap! - (MARLON AND PRINTZ LAUGH) The music, it became a lot more purposeful, a lot cleaner, a lot more pop. # Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. After listening to the music, seeing them, feeling who they are, I felt like these guys were where Black Eyed Peas was in the beginning, you know, and I saw the massive potential, but I don't think everybody was on the same page. The other guys, like, they pushed back on me real hard. A lot of the guys were like, 'Who's this, and why is he involved now?' IMITATING PRINTZ: 'Oh, hey, man. Like, you guys are dope.' It was just all that kind of carry-on. It did separate us even more. But on the other hand, thank God he came in and there was someone there who at least Mat respected enough to listen to. # ...the world, the hearts of boys and the girls. I really liked the direction. I think the level of songwriting had stepped up. You know, we changed sounds, and it was a bit poppier and a bit out there for what we were as a band. No matter what everybody was feeling at that time, some of the songs were just awesome. I was like, 'We're gonna be fine.' Like, if they'd have come back with crap, I would have been like, 'Later. I'm outta here.' (CHUCKLES) (BAND PLAYS 'SPECIAL') # You're so special # to me. # And I want the world # to see. # So special, special. Just before we were going in the studio to track the songs, our management sent them to get some feedback from the industry. The feedback was very negative. 'These songs are not good. These songs are bad.' There was just, like, nothing positive about it. 'None of these will go on radio. 'This is objectively a terrible song. 'These lyrics are ludicrous.' And what was kind of beautiful about it was there's nothing like a common enemy. And we all just came together, I think, really well and went, 'Nah, these are good songs.' As much as I was... I was struggling a bit with Mat and whatever was going on there, we have to come together and do this from a united front and go, 'This is the album, whether you like it or not.' MATIU AND CROWD SING: # ...so special to me, # all that I want # and need. # You're so special # to me, # and I want the world - # to see. - # Baby, to see. - # So special, special. - # Yeeeeah. I think as much critics made sport of making fun of them, you can at least agree that Six60 is a phenomenon. # I know, you know, I know that you know # that you're so special. # I know, you know, I know that you know # that you're so special. The second album, it ended up going really well, better than the first album, way better than we expected. # I know, you know, I know that you know. CROWD: # You're so special. It had been a number of years since we put out anything, and so fans were feverish for these new songs. And the moment we came out with some pop songs, everyone was just like, 'Oh, OK, this is a whole 'nother level.' Doing that album and then going on tour after that, yeah, that was five times bigger than the last album and the last tour and the last kind of cycle that we went through. There was definitely a feeling that we were so proud of the album and done so well back home, there's no reason why it shouldn't work everywhere. # So special, special. # (JI PLAYS GUITAR SOLO) (CROWD CHEERS) (CROWD CHEERS) * (ROCK MUSIC) Once we released the second album, there was quite a buzz, you know? We were getting a lot of communication with people in America from labels. (POP!) We signed a deal with Capitol. We had, like, signed for five albums. We were, like, really excited about Capitol Records. We got, you know, this much clout, this much pulling power. The whole thing's lined up like it's gonna happen, you know? It was like, 'We are the next level. 'There's all these photo shoots, 'and, yeah, this is gonna be life from now on. 'It's just gonna be this 24-7.' The peak of that Capitol deal was they secured us a session with Pharrell, and obviously we were just so over the moon about that opportunity. But the band had a fractured relationship. We hadn't been writing together, and then all of a sudden, all five of us are in a studio with Pharrell Williams, and there was just no chemistry at all. It was like five people who'd never met each other and who didn't particularly like each other. It was just awful. Pharrell, there wasn't even time to build a relationship or rapport with him either. Nothing really came out of that. It was gut-wrenching, really. I mean, I kinda felt embarrassed about it. And, slowly, Capitol - the relationship really deteriorated. You know, it really affected me, pissed me off a lot. Pissed us all off. (BAND PLAYS 'BITTER END') # Don't know how I'll be remembered. # I just hope that I am. We were just angry at ourselves for getting ourselves in that situation, at Capitol for fucking us around. # I'll do it my way # till the bitter end. # Can we just dance forever? # Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh. I never really saw it as a fail. I saw these labels failing to get it right. It was almost like they sign you and they go, 'Now make us a million dollars,' you know? Luckily, we got out of the deal clean. We were just like, 'All right, that shit thing happened. Let's all rally and make some more music and go do this shit ourselves. # Oh, oh, oh. # Done a little this. # Done a little that. # I'll do it my way # till the bitter end. # All these attempts we've made and the times things have fallen on their face, the music, it's just continued to grow here in New Zealand. We wanted to focus more on just giving back to New Zealand, and obviously Dunedin is a special place for us. - Castle Street, what's good? - (CROWD CHEERS) So we, kinda, had made an annual thing of paying homage to where we came from. (MUSIC PLAYS, CROWD CHEERS) This is how we do shit in Dunedin! We just put on a free gig, and we had done that like two or three years in a row. # Don't forget your roots. Can't hear ya. Can't hear ya! CROWD SINGS: # Don't forget your family, yeah! # Don't forget your roots, my friend. # Yeah, oh, oh, oh. You know these were just pop-up shows, no real lead-up. But the buzz got so big; we had to put it in this new facility on Castle Street still. CROWD CHANTS: Six60! Six60! Six60! Six60! This time, we had much more notoriety, and so there was a bit more buzz going on. I think we just didn't anticipate how out of control that really got. (CROWD CHEERS) (CRASH! CROWD SCREAMS) (ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC) I remember seeing the balcony come down. (SIREN WAILS) I remember the ambulance coming in. We had no idea what was going on and how bad it was. Young girl, she got paralysed. Another guy, he really got mangled up. A girl called Bailley got crushed by the balcony, and she got paralysed. You know, I was devastated. I remember just sitting in my house and crying. I couldn't stand the fact that something we had done had affected someone in that way. I guess in some ways, I feel like it is my fault. We were all kind of in shock. Didn't really know how to handle it. I don't know if I'll ever really get over that, to be honest. But, yeah, it was just sad, really. I just didn't want anything like that to happen, eh? # And through it all, # I'm left here with this purple heart of mine. For ages, I just didn't wanna believe it. That's a hard thing to face, you know? # And the sky is purple, purple, purple. # Ooh, ooh. The balcony collapse was a horrible, horrible moment. It's absolutely tragic. (CLEARS THROAT) I just, um... (SIX60's 'PURPLE' CONTINUES PLAYING) I just feel for that girl. # And so we fall. # I'm left here with this purple heart of mine. Bailley, I reached out to her afterwards, you know? She just blows me away, you know? She said to me, you know, 'I don't want you to feel like it was your fault.' Yeah I just feel really, really gutted, just sick for Bailley and her family. I mean, life-changing moment and just awful that, you know, our boys were, unfortunately, part of it. Yeah. I'm just so sorry to her and her family. Because that happened, we kinda just had to figure it out now. (SNIFFS) We couldn't let it finish on that. We couldn't let that be the last thing we were remembered for. (SIX60'S 'DON'T GIVE IT UP') When I met the band, they were a little bit lost. They wanted direction. They wanted a reason to... to keep going. # Don't give it up, # hey. # I'm telling you, telling you, telling you, I... # won't give it up. # No, no, no. # So don't even, don't even, don't even try. It just made sense to get the band out of the house. We needed to get something going. Let's get in the studio for a couple of weeks. There was no time to feel sorry for yourself, to have self-doubt, to worry about what you're doing. It was just, 'Make some music, you know - 'something that we can put out, let you go on the road, 'enjoy it. And then we'll figure out a bigger strategy.' # I don't give a fuck... ALL SING: # ...about you, about you, about you and your friends. # I've seen enough. # All you do is pretend and pretend and pretend and pretend. There was no doubt Mat and Marlon had this awesome thing going as a songwriting duo. So you didn't want to get in the way of it, but it was happening, and we were there, and, you know, you'd pitch ideas or whatever, and it was all kind of- it seemed really healthy. It was a nice step back towards a body of work that everyone felt a little ownership of. # Oh, oh, oh. We were definitely moving towards mending a few of the wounds that needed to be healed. People had fell into roles then a bit better. All we were doing was having fun in the studio, and that 400% commitment and time into just writing this music. MATIU AND CROWD SING: # Don't give it up. - CHOIR: # Aaaah. - # No. # I'm telling you, telling you, telling you, I... # won't give it up. - # Aaaah. - # No, no, no. # So don't even, don't even, don't even try. - (CROWD CHEERS) - Whoo! (MATIU VOCALISES) Yeah, then we took ourselves on tour, and that was such a cool tour. That was for two months. We were just getting on really well. Everyone in the band was having a good time. It was, like, probably the most fun I've ever had on tour. We'd been through Europe, going through Aussie, and were returning home to play to record-breaking numbers. (CROWD CHEERS) But I just felt like the EP wasn't doing the things that I intended it to do. It just didn't open as many doors as I'd hoped. The tour felt good. The last recording stuff we did felt good. But somehow, Mat just seemed in a bad space. * (PLAYS GENTLE GUITAR MUSIC) At that time, I was lonely in this band. You know, I had thoughts about going solo. I just felt like... I dunno. I just felt this weight. (GRUNTS) Reflecting on what I've done and what more there is to do and how I'll be remembered at the end of it. And, um... I dunno. I just feel like... I don't know if it's good enough, you know what I mean? (BAND PLAYS 'GHOSTS') # ...alone. # I've been desperately, yeah, # desperately holding on, # holding on. MARLON: I said, 'Let's not break up the band 'and you go solo right now, 'because we've still got stuff left undone.' So Matiu and I went away and focused on writing new music. # Sometimes I wanna run away # and leave this all behind. # That's the line, eh, that sums up the song. I know. It seems like right now, it's a real personal story. But then, you don't want it to be just, like, - a relationship thing. - Nah. Somehow trying to find... What if you're talking to yourself? Like, seem like it's about someone else. - Yeah. - But turn it around. It's like you're talking to yourself. I mean, if you go (SINGS) haunted by the ghost of you. - Yeah. - Rather than 'me'. Cos the ghost is just the... can just be your past self, you know? Maybe you start to realise that you aren't who you maybe thought you were. Yeah. How would that go, then? # Haunted by the ghost of you. # They won't leave me alone. - It won't leave me alone? - It won't leave me alone. # And I've been desperately # holding on. # I can imagine I can be hard to be around sometimes, because I... you know, when I've got an idea of what I want, I just want it done that way. But that becomes a problem when it bleeds over into other things, you know, especially into friendship, and doesn't work very well with the band particularly. # Oh, changes. # Oh, when did we become strangers? # I never saw it coming. # Thought in time, I could find me a way to move on. There's definitely decisions I've made that I've felt really bad about. I dunno if I did anything wrong. I just could have done things better. Practise a bit more empathy. I could be a bit more patient. I could be more understanding. # Wherever we go, # we can't run from our ghosts. - (CHUCKLES) - Oh! # Can't keep hiding from the truth, yeah. # Wherever we go, # we can't run from our ghosts. # I just want to be great. I want everything that comes with it. I want the Grammys. I want the Hollywood Bowl. I want Wembley Stadium. I want all the big things. But what I've realised is that it's not always about me, and it's not always about the thing I'm trying to achieve. You know, with Mat, it has been difficult to reach him sometimes, because his innate competitive nature. But I'm as much to blame for that as well. And when I acknowledged that within myself, I kinda felt quite sad, cos I thought, you know, going back to why we actually first started hanging out - it's cos we really enjoyed each other. It was when we threw work in the middle of it that we got super competitive with each other. - Free shot. - Yup. - You go. - Yup. (BOTH PANTING) (JI GRUNTS) (MATIU GRUNTS) - (GRUNTS) - Hey. (CHUCKLES) - (GRUNTS) - (CHUCKLES) (BOTH GRUNT) We're all trying to find our own sense in the chaos of the thing, you know? Yeah. Six60 is like whanau. It's about bringing people together and us being together. Maybe that's our key - making everyone feel involved and included. I feel a really strong connection with that now. It gets stronger the more and more we've realised and been able to harness that power. It's like Captain Planet - our power combined, you know? - We're like all the... - Oh, we're all the-? We're all the elements. (LAUGHS) Maybe you're Captain. - You're Fire. - (LAUGHS) Yeah. - Eli's Heart. - Eli's Heart. - Chris. - Wind! Oh, Chris could be Wind, yeah. Marlon might be Earth, and you can be Captain Planet. Bound for life, whether we like it or not. But what a cool thing to have to share with each other, man. Yeah. At the end of the day, you're not gonna like each other all the time, and you're gonna have to put up with each other's shit every now and then. (PLAYS STEADY DRUMBEAT) We could've pulled pin years ago and gone off, built careers, done our own thing, but we've sacrificed all that for something bigger. (PLAYS DRUM ROLL) (SIX60'S 'THE GREATEST' PLAYS) # I know the taste of my tears when they run down my face. I found out the other day what this is for. Put it under the cup. (LAUGHS) # You knock me down # But I won't stay # on the ground. I think the goal is to be more than a band that's big in New Zealand. We can't walk away before that's done. (SIX60'S 'THE GREATEST' CONTINUES) I don't think anyone wants the band to stagnate. I don't think anyone in the band wants to be like, 'Ah, let's just do this. Like, let's just be the biggest band 'in New Zealand or whatever. Let's just do that for a while 'until, you know, that pays out, 'and then we can do the reunion tour in 20,' you know? Like, no one wants to do that. We wanna keep growing and getting bigger and see how far we can take it. Like, how far can Six60 actually go is a huge motivator for the whole band. * (SIX60'S 'UP THERE' PLAYS) I think the band has shown that they need things to bind them sometimes ` challenges to defeat. # These shitty old headphones, # they always make me feel free. John was the one who said, 'What venues are you doing?' 'Why don't you do Western Springs?' He said, 'Where's the biggest venue in New Zealand?' I was, like, 'Oh, Western Springs.' He was, like, 'Well, let's play there.' We were all like, 'Fucking get off it, mate.' (LAUGHS) Like... I'm like, (CHUCKLES) 'Nah. Can't play there. That's 50,000 people.' And he's, like, 'We can do it.' # ...oh, how it must feel # to be up there # with Johnny, Bob and Freddie. You just gotta look at the list of people who played at Western Springs. We're talking Bob Marley, AC/DC, Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Elton John, Foo Fighters. Honestly, I felt another launching pad into the next level of Six60's journey. # I dunno about you. # But if you ask me, # oh, how it must feel # to be up there # with Johnny, Uncle Bob and Freddie. # Oh, how it must feel # to be up there # with Johnny, Uncle Bob and Freddie. # Uncle Bob, Uncle Bob. (CROWD CHEERS) There have been New Zealand bands who have had global hits, global successes. But nobody else will ever be the first Kiwi band to sell out Western Springs. That's forever. This show will give us a better chance to unlock the rest of the world. I mean, 50,000 people anywhere makes a noise that people can notice. But also, realistically, we have to make a record that sounds good enough for the rest of the world. (LAID-BACK MUSIC) # In the end, we just step on # the credit card. # Darling, our love is... # There's all this stuff that probably won't make the album. That's why you've just gotta write so many ` you know, give yourself the best chance of writing a good one. For every 10 that you` For every 20 you write, one is good. But you've just gotta get all the shit ones out. Get them over and done with. (SIX60'S 'NEVER ENOUGH' PLAYS) We've finished the writing process. We need to pick the 15, 16 songs that we wanna cut and finish. # You keep sinking deeper in my soul. # Yeah. Why won't you leave me? Why won't you leave me? # Let me go. # Oh, oh. Challenging ourselves and doing something different. We're trying to make music for people who have never heard Six60, as well as people who have loved what we've done for years. The music ` it's incorporating where we started, where we've been, and just putting into one big melting pot with love and respect. As a group, it's really about trying to do something great. There's a power in believing that together. And releasing any new music, you have to trust that your fans will go on the journey with you. # Enough is never enough. # Ooh. # ('NEVER ENOUGH' ENDS) - (LAUGHS) - Whoo! (INDISTINCT CHATTER) It feels like the calm before the storm, you know? We've done the music. We're trying to name the album. We're trying to find the artwork. It just all feels like it's sizzling and about to boil and explode. We want to go out to the world loud and proud and be, like, 'This is who we are and this is where we're from, 'but that doesn't mean you can't listen to it, 'and it doesn't mean we're only for one type of person.' Six60 is all-inclusive, and it's for everyone ` all ages, all creeds, all colours. (SIX60'S 'SUN DOWN') # Tell me what you're rushing for. # We were just getting... I still don't really know if I know what a Six60 fan is. It must be everyone (LAUGHS) if you can sell out Western Springs. # Right now, right here's all that we need. # And when the sun goes down us... Cool people like Six60; the rugged people like Six60; the conservative people like Six60; the kids love Six60; the old people like Six60; the gangsters like Six60. Everybody loves them. Our fans are real New Zealanders. There's no demographic, which is pretty cool. And I think what we've done is something bigger than build a fan base. # Stay here with me. # I never wanna leave, yeah. Our fans are as diverse as we are. This thing that we have created, Six60, has taken a life of its own. We individually can't control it. It has to be a team effort. (CROWD CHEERS) # Right here, right now's all that we need. # And when the sun goes down on us. # That's where I wanna be. Our strength now has become how we grow and change. I love these dudes. These are my brothers, you know? And I'm so thankful that, you know, they stick around and that they're still keen to become great. I just wanna thank them for the music. # I know the taste of my tears when they run down my face. # Reminds me of all the years and the dreams I've been chasing. # Fuelling the fire inside so the fears, I can face them. # Cos Mama never told me nothing bout being complacent. # So you can knock me down. # But I won't stay on the ground. # Can't stop believing I'm the greatest. # Hearts breaking till I know I made it. # I'll never know what second place is. # No pain, no doubt, # till the lights go out. Just a little more # makes it worth it all. # When I hear the call, # will I rise or fall? # I know all my roads # lead to something gold. # So I will walk them all. # I will walk them all. I feel like it's moving faster than ever. We've got a new album. Just signed a new deal. Mean. - Cheers, man. - Looking forward to doing it - - all together. - Yeah. Thank you, fullas. # Can't stop # believing I'm the greatest. # Hearts breaking # till I know I made it. # I'll never # know what second place is. # No pain, no doubt # till the lights go out. # Aaaah. # Till the lights go out. # Yeah, yeah. # Some days, it feels like I don't wanna go any farther. # The only way I know to keep on is keep pushing harder. # Can't stop - # believing I'm the greatest. - # I'm the greatest. # Hearts breaking # till I know I made it. # I'll never # know what second place is. - # No pain, no doubt,... - # No pain, no doubt. # ...till the lights go out. # (SIX60'S 'KIA MAU KI TO UKAIPO')