Even in the middle of a cold New Zealand winter, Drax Project’s summer run keeps going strong.
Wellington’s pop-rock band just finished their first international headline tour across the UK and Europe, with most shows selling out. It was a landmark moment for the four-piece, especially since their last tour there was all the way back in 2019 opening for none other than Christina Aguilera.
They came into the tour in a position of strength, fresh from the release of their latest album, Upside, which made Rolling Stone AU/NZ’s Best New Zealand Albums of 2023 list.
As we put it in our review, “It increasingly feels like New Zealand has another commercial behemoth akin to Six60 in the form of Drax Project… The Wellington pop rockers followed up their promising self-titled debut album with a second collection filled with just as many potential viral-ready hits, particularly the catchy ‘Atmosphere’ and ‘Disrespect’.”
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This month, they have the honour of opening notable new Wellington venue Meow Nui with shows on August 30th and 31st. The inner city spot, from the team behind Wellington’s beloved Meow, can hold 1000 people and is expected to be a game-changing addition to the capital’s live music scene.
Drax Project are also getting ready for a run of Australian tour dates in September and October, and they’ll also squeeze in a visit to Snow Machine Festival on September 7th in Queenstown.
To celebrate their big year of touring, Rolling Stone AU/NZ caught up with the band to discuss their shows, latest album, and what else is to come in 2024 and beyond. Read the full interview below.
Drax Project’s Upside is out now via Universal Music. Find the band’s tour dates and ticket information here.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: How did the Upside tour go?
Drax Project: Loved every minute. It’s the first international headline tour we’ve done and being able to experience all the different cities has been inspiring. It’s fun being a band and we’re super grateful that we can do it.
Which tracks from Upside do you love performing live the most right now?
We’ve been opening the set with “Oh My” which has been the perfect way to get the blood flowing early on… it’s got that distinct Drax sound with obnoxious saxophone. “Supernova” has been another goodie, it’s the first time we’ve rocked the hard auto-tune in a live context. Sometimes you have to embrace the T-Pain.
Tell us about Upside. Were you happy with the reaction to the album? We ranked it as one of the best New Zealand albums of 2023.
Thank you!! Hard not to be happy with that. We spent a lot of time on it, crafting every sound, lyric and detail to get it where we wanted. We’re proud of it. It’s been fun touring the album and seeing people sing the lyrics back to us – I think that’s one of the best feelings as a musician.
Credit: Tom Grut
How did you feel about the overwhelming response to your callout for opening acts for your tour on social media?
We were talking about this the other day! I think the post ended up with over 3000+ comments which made it extremely difficult to choose. We went into it thinking we’d have one act for each show but there was no way we could only have one. We picked three for each and wish we could’ve had more, to be honest. They were all amazing in their own right, and it felt like a celebration each night! We were stoked to share a sold-out crowd and can’t wait to see where they end up. We might open for them one day…
Based on your experiences in the music industry, what advice would you give to emerging artists?
Be yourself, write more music than you need, work on your craft every day, even if it’s for 10 minutes. There are more people watching you than you realise. It’s possible to make real waves from anywhere in the world now at minimal cost – make the most of it.
What does having headline shows in Europe mean to you as a band?
Playing shows is our favourite thing; being able to travel and do that is the icing. We haven’t toured there since opening for Christina Aguilera in 2019 so it’s our first headlining mission. There’s a lovely lady, Anita, who travelled from Montreal to London for both shows and then flew to Paris two days later to watch the Paris show. Right up the front at every one with the same energy each time. That’s the kind of stuff that keeps you fuelled as a band!
Are you excited to perform as the first act at Meow Nui in Wellington?
What a privilege! We had a little look and it’s going to be special. We owe a lot to the city and can’t wait to rip in and also see other acts in there. It’s amazing for the city!
The venue’s going to be a great addition to Wellington.
It’s great having a venue that can fill that space between Meow/San Fran and TSB Arena/Shed 6 etc. that is purpose built for music! Can’t wait to see who will play there. There are some great people behind the whole thing and we’re backing them 100%.
Any special plans for these hometown Wellington shows?
Might have to pull out some old songs or get some fish ‘n’ chips in for the half-time intermission. Massive shared feed with everyone?
And what’s next for Drax Project in 2024? Any new music in the works?
[We’re] always working on new music. [We’ve got a ] bunch of shows in Australia this September/October. We’ve recorded the London Jazz Cafe shows too, so we may be working on something with that…
