After three decades of collaborating with some of the best in the business within Aotearoa music and beyond, Katchafire are back with Revival 2.0 Guest Edition, a special album that includes some familiar favourites in both the tracks and the guest artists.
First released in 2003, Revival showcased the band’s easy-listening roots reggae, nodding to R&B and jazz through comprehensive instrumentals and soulful vocals, putting forward a fresh sound that appealed to New Zealand listeners.
It was the debut album that marked the beginning of a decades-long journey for Katchafire, who show no signs of slowing down with the band now spanning across three generations of whānau.
The record was certified platinum within a few months and went on to have a resurgence two decades later, reentering the charts in 2023 and ranking among Aotearoa’s top 10 most popular albums by New Zealand artists that year.
Original hits from Katchafire’s initial offering remain among their most popular, with “Get Away”, “Who You With”, “Collie Herb Man”, and “Seriously” garnering millions of streams and still competing with newer material in their top 10 on listening platforms.
The popularity of Revival has also remained strong not just with Kiwi audiences but with fans around the world.
The album’s success opened doors to more opportunities, including five more studio albums (so far), global tours, and dream pairings with artists.
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Credit: Olivia Lloyd
With the music’s timeless appeal, it’s no wonder the band released the remastered Revival 2.0 earlier this year ahead of setting free Revival: The Guest Edition with help from the friends they’ve made along the way, including UB40’s original lead singer Ali Campbell.
Katchafire frontman Logan Bell says working alongside Campbell was one for the books.
“UB40 is hands down the biggest reggae band in the world. They can go to the most territories, you name it,” he says.
“They tick all the boxes when it comes to being their own kind of they’re in their own kind of league, and to be in that and feel like we get in a little bit on their coattails… We’re very blessed to be able to fit into that niche.”
Credit: Morgan Hide
Campbell chose “Seriously”, an uplifting Katchafire anthem featuring catchy lyrics known to ignite a singalong from their crowds at live shows.
Already well acquainted with Campbell from their adventures touring the world, getting him on a track took Bell’s appreciation to another level.
“Getting to finally work with him was amazing. It was just really fun to go back and revisit our first album, remix it, and, of course, open it up for guests we’ve rubbed shoulders with and now call friends do some features and collaborations,” he says.
Bell was in awe of Campbell’s transition from performer in front of a mic. “His voice, man, it’s golden. I’m sitting there in awe of the guy. It’s still amazing. Touch wood, I hope my voice is still there after 30, 40 years of performing.”
Campbell launched UB40 featuring Ali Campbell in 2014, carrying forward his own personal link to the hits closely associated with his voice.
Beyond his ability to belt out the track, Bell praised Campbell’s easygoing nature as a collaborator. “He’s gracious. Every time we’ve played with him and met him, he’s taking time out of his day.”
Campbell described the collaboration with equal pride, saying it was nothing short of a “privilege” to work with Katchafire.
Campbell isn’t the only big guest artist to star on the revamped record: tracks feature Steel Pulse, Third World, Big Mountain, Mike Love, Roman from Kolohe Kai, and Kiwi talent Laughton Kora and Louis Baker.
“We’ve gone for friends and collaborations in all of the places we’re kind of the most loved, so, Hawaii, America, New Zealand, Australia,” Bell explains. “All of those bands have influenced our career and our songwriting, and are absolute legends. And we now call them friends.
“They really did it justice. We’re very blessed to have got a lot of these legends on the project.”
Bell and his brother Jordan are credited as writers for many of the original Revival tracks.
It was their dad, Grenville, who started Katchafire in 1997 with an initial vision of forming a Bob Marley tribute band. Under his guidance, Bell and Jordan entered the music world.
“Dad saw us, his boys, going into music,” Bell recalls. “I just remember him being really supportive of that. He actually moved out of our family home and into some apartments where we could actually make noise all hours of the night.
“It was in an industrial area in town, and it was kind of like the birth of the band. We could centralise in one location, and all the boys could just meet and rehearse and write songs.
“It was the hub, and without that, we wouldn’t have had the same momentum. Everything was just really pushing us towards that career path.
“Once we made the decision, Dad supported us wholeheartedly.”
The early days looked a little different to how they operate now, but Bell says they’ve never forgotten their roots.
“It wasn’t a lot of money. I think we ran through about two or three vans that he brought secondhand just so we could go and do these shows,” he says. “We used to go and set up all the PA and then do the show and then pack down and drive everywhere. We had to do everything. There was no crew back then. It was hard yards.
“I look at my son now, and he’s drumming in the band, and he’s done no hard yards whatsoever,” Bell adds with a big laugh.
Fresh out of music school, Bell’s son has been filling in for his uncle. It’s a dynamic not unlike the musical legacy of the Bob Marley family, where the name has carried through reggae history, with Marley’s children and grandchildren continuing to perform, record, and tour.
“He’s absolutely killing it. He’s smashing it,” Bell says of his son. “He’s the first of the kids of the Katchafire children to join the band. He’s really taken to it. The kid is really doing an awesome job.”
Bell’s daughter, who acts as well as sings, has also been learning harmonies.
“We’re sort of trying to get her to learn and come in and sing. Some of the boys can’t hit those high notes anymore,” he chuckles.
Credit: Olivia Lloyd
As he shares his craft and passion for music with his own kids, Bell hopes they realise that anything is possible.
“I think it’s the hard yards at the beginning,” he says. “When you can work that hard for your dream, and get it to the point where it is now. I am mindful of my son, and I’m always telling him, you know, ‘You’ve got to do some hard yards. This isn’t real.’ You don’t really kind of appreciate it unless you’ve done the hard yards.”
That’s why Bell stays grounded and still takes in every win.
“I don’t take it for granted at all, ever. None of this journey I take for granted. [I’m] very aware it can go away tomorrow, and we’re blessed it doesn’t.
“We’re blessed that we have fans that absolutely love what we do and support every part of it. It’s magic.”
Katchafire’s Revival 2.0 is out now. Revival 2.0 Guest Edition is out November 2026.
