Over the past two decades, The Black Seeds have not only solidified themselves as one of Aotearoa's national musical treasures, but have also developed a global reputation as one of the world's leading reggae groups.
Beloved for their rich discography and unmatched onstage energy, The Black Seeds imbue everything they create with a clear passion, which is no doubt why they’ve found themselves at the top of their game this deep into their career.
On April 11, the band will be making their way to Melbourne’s 170 Russell alongside fellow New Zealand favourite Kora for a night of immense talent and chilled-out reggae vibes.
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Ahead of the show, we spoke with singer and guitarist Barnaby Weir about the band’s enduring legacy and what it takes to make music that touches the hearts of fans, time and time again.
How do you successfully work such a diverse range of influences – funk, soul, dub, Afrobeat and so on – into a reggae foundation?
With each original song, there’s always a root feel or main riff that guides us in deciding what the working direction will be. The foundation is almost always in the roots reggae or dub flavour zone but sometimes the weight might lean harder on funk or afrobeat styles of playing or begin somewhere less obvious. We try to keep an open mind in the creation of our music and let the groove identify itself as we work on it.
You’ve also been described as South Pacific reggae. You notably reworked So True for Māori Language Week last year. Could you describe the influence of South Pacific culture on your music?
Coming from an island nation (Aotearoa/New Zealand) and with our closest neighbours the Pacific islands, there is a sense of this cultural identity woven into our music. It becomes more apparent in songs like One By One with dreamy ukulele strings and the video shot in Vanuatu, or our recent Te Rēo Māori version of So True’ where our native language is the feature.
Surrounded by coastline and about as isolated as you can be, this undoubtedly has been soaked into our original and authentic sound.
You’ve previously told us that if bands just follow trends, they lose their grip. How can you tell the difference between being open to new musical ideas and following fashions?
All you have to do is listen when you’re at cafes or bars and more often than not there will be something non-original and non-authentic playing. Like bad versions of great or average songs – unnecessary remixes of classics and annoying renditions of groundbreaking solid gold or underground hits. Average music is everywhere which makes us somewhat more determined to make what we consider to be meaningful, thoughtful and fun music.
Following a fashion is pretty easy. Being part of a movement is more special – it’s all in the eye or ear of the beholder and [it’s] a gift when you hear something that moves you in some way. That’s when you know you’ve struck gold.
You’ve been dubbed one of the best live reggae acts on the planet. You once told us your priority was ensuring your live gigs “are fucking awesome” – why do you think your live show is so acclaimed?
Yes, our live show is important to us all. We genuinely strive to reach that point where there is a sense of magic and togetherness in the crowd and on stage, where we all become one living ball of musical energy.
We’re not faking it and the crowd can easily tell that. We are not just running through the motions – there has to be some sense of electricity ️ or power in the experience. Having eight people in the band adds to the vibe and energises the crowd and that’s what we aim for every gig, distribution of Black Seeds energy. There’s also a sense of light-hearted fun being had too, people get that.
You’ve previously noted the band has always come “from a similar direction, musically”. How important do you think that’s been to your success?
Being an eight-piece band has its benefits and complications too. Big lol. We don’t always agree and often we have eight varying opinions. However, this helps to make us the sum of our separate parts and our different skills/talents.
We do generally appreciate everyone’s own influences and mainly we love each other’s musicality and approach to playing. There’s a lot of mutual respect and friendship between the members of the band. We are lucky for this.
Rolling Stone described you as the best reggae band in the world in 2011. What are your thoughts on the strengths of the contemporary reggae scene and how it’s evolving?
That was a nice compliment from Rolling Stone and a good boost for us at the time. The evolution of reggae is damn interesting – such an influential genre worldwide.
You can hear it in a lot of music so it’s hard for me to comment specifically on a whole genre. However there is a lot of fake cheese out there too, be warned. But yes, reggae is massively international and is woven into the fabric of modern music for sure.
26 years on, how does it feel to be a leading band both within the global reggae genre and within New Zealand’s music scene?
We are so genuinely grateful to be able to still be The Black Seeds over such a long time. We are obviously not a young bunch but we still have a huge hunger to write record produce and perform music for the future. We are a great team of individuals and there’s a special musical glue and friendship that keeps us going.
Our fans are really important to us and they keep us going but we make the music for ourselves – we challenge ourselves to be better and to keep it real always. The road we have decided to take has not been an easy one but I wouldn’t change anything for the world.
You’re touring with another iconic Kiwi group that emerged in the 90s. How does it feel to be touring and playing alongside Kora after all these years?
We are good friends with and big fans of the mighty Kora! It’s the first time we’ve been on tour together in Australia – a doubleheader. We are totally pumped for it!
We’ve always respected Kora and we’ve shared the stage a lot over the years but not like this. They have a deadly sound and always rip It up so they’ll definitely keep us on our toes and we will be bringing our A-game!
Looking back, what are some of the key changes you’ve seen in New Zealand’s music scene and the talent that’s come out of the country over your career?
Well as you know, the music industry has changed multiple times over 26 years – the introduction of streaming and social media, the demise of big-label culture and so on. Some things have not changed. The world wants incredible, heartfelt and meaningful music. The world needs heavy big riffs, tuneful vocals and soulful lyrics. The world needs classy beats, tough grooves and interesting melodies.
The people want to celebrate, mourn, party, reflect and tap their feet. They want to dance. They want someone to understand them. They want to express themselves and they need a voice or a sound that stands for something or represents them in some way. And all of this a song can do, if it’s made well, if it’s crafted and if it’s respected, it can be made. This is some of what we are still trying to achieve as The Black Seeds – to write great songs that hopefully inspire.
There is lots of talent in Aotearoa. It’s bloomed over 26 years. It’s been supported and it’s shines through stronger than ever and we have witnessed this rise. I hope it continues.
