With a new album out and a curtain-raiser at One NZ Stadium just around the corner, Six60’s Ji Fraser and Marlon Gerbes tell Alex Casey about six venues that made them the band they are today.
Pick a venue in Aotearoa, and Six60 have probably performed there. Even – especially! – if no other band has. In just the last month, they’ve opened the New Zealand International Convention Centre, played songs from their new album at the top of the Sky Tower, and cranked out ‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’ to New Zealanders leaving home from Auckland International Airport. They’re also known to surprise people at the Hamilton Farmers Market, serenade mums in Te Atatū for Mothers’ Day, and entertain commuters on a central Auckland bus trip.
In May, they’re headlining the curtain-raising gig at Ōtautahi’s much-anticipated One NZ Stadium along with the mysterious Synthony, ticking off yet another milestone for the best-selling band in New Zealand’s history. Guitarist Marlon Gerbes tells The Spinoff that playing huge venues like this is not only a chance for the band to challenge themselves, but to celebrate what we have in our own backyard. “It’s to let everyone know these venues are here and are great for live shows,” he says. “A lot of times opening significant music venues in Aotearoa involves overseas acts – keep it local.”
The gig will also be a chance for them to play their new album, Right Here Right Now, the songs of which were each recorded in a single take. “We wanted it to be raw and have real emotion… just like you’re sitting on the couch in the studio with us,” says guitarist Ji Fraser, who promises no gimmicks and no AI. Gerbes adds that recording each song altogether, complete with organic fumbles, captured a sense of humanity that feels urgent in 2026. “The imperfections are what makes music feel human in a world full of technology.”
Ahead of their next big venue opener in Ōtautahi, we asked the band to talk us through the six local venues that have defined Six60 so far.
Gardies, Dunedin
Six60’s first ever shows were famously at their rowdy flat at 660 Castle Street in Dunedin, attended by “anyone who we could convince to come” says Fraser. But what helped crowd numbers was the fact that just 20 metres down the road was Gardies Tavern, an iconic student pub which would close at midnight and see patrons spilling over to 660 Castle Street. “So many of our early band memories are there,” says Fraser. Alas, Gardies closed down in 2010 – but it was resurrected in miniature for the release of their album Castle Street in 2022.
The Powerstation, Auckland
For four years from 2010-2014, Gerbes says The Powerstation in Auckland was an essential hub for fostering the live Six60 experience. “We played here many times in the early days, it’s probably one of Auckland’s best music venues,” he says. “I feel like we cut our teeth here a bit working out how to put on a good show.” A review from one of their 2011 Powerstation shows noted: “while they may have a smaller discography then some who have played the hallowed venue, not many could have matched the vibrance and enthusiasm of the night.”
Forsyth Barr, Dunedin
After their 2018 stadium tour failed to make it south, The Hits Otago led a powerful viral campaign to get Six60 back to their roots. The public pressure worked, with Matiu Walters announcing “let’s do it, the people have spoken” live on air, and in 2019 they played their first headline show at Forsyth Barr Stadium. “To be able to play a stadium in Dunedin where we spent so much time in the early years of the band watching the Landers was just unreal,” says Fraser. “We even walked from the flat to the stadium on show day, I will never forget that.”
Western Springs, Auckland
In 2019, Six60 made history as the first New Zealand band to perform in front of a sell-out, 50,000-strong crowd at Western Springs Stadium. “It’s really the venue that made so many things possible for us,” says Fraser. “It was magical to be able to play the same venue as Bob Marley and David Bowie.” Gerbes remembers it as “one of the most terrifying and satisfying things we’ve ever done” as the band made the jump from a 12,000 crowd at Spark Arena to 50,000 in just over a year. “It certainly was bigger than just Six60 playing Western Springs,” he says. “It was Kiwis coming together to support Kiwis flying high.”
Eden Park, Auckland
Two years later, the band made history again as the first musical act to play Eden Park. “To change in the changing rooms and walk out the tunnel, you never forget that,” says Fraser. Beyond being able to use the All Blacks’ lockers, the gig represented a significant milestone for Aotearoa in the midst of the Covid era. With much of the world still in lockdown, millions tuned in to watch something as unfathomable as a stadium show in the middle of a pandemic. “Playing Eden Park celebrated Kiwis working together to get our freedom back during the pandemic,“ says Gerbes. “It was a symbol of hope not only for Aotearoa but for the world that we can beat this pandemic and get back to normal life.”
Te Puka Tavern, Tokomaru Bay
While the enormous stadium crowds have earned Six60 their place in history, Fraser shouts out an East Coast classic to round out the list. Home of the “Surf & Station” (“scotch fillet steak topped with mussels & prawns in a garlic sauce….. yum!!”), Te Puka Tavern also played host to a sold out Six60 gig that he will never forget. As a part of their 2024 Grassroots Tour, which saw them play intimate acoustic shows exclusively in small towns and venues, the Te Puka Tavern show saw 200 locals turn up on a Monday night. “It might be the least expected on the list, but I am from the East Coast and the vibe that night was insane,” he says. “People showed up on horseback – the party might still be going.”
