From student parties to summer festival slots, the rise of former Dunedin, now Auckland-based roots-reggae band Summer Thieves is the result of relaxed, yet upbeat music and a focused vision.
In fact, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to compare the group’s early career arc to that of another former Dunedin reggae-rock student party band that has gone on to greater things: Six60.
Certainly, Jake Barton (guitar, vocals), Johnny Ward (drums, vocals), Adam Spencer (bass) and Angus Cleland (keyboards, samples, percussion) don’t shy away from such rootsy connections as they celebrate the release this month of debut album Warped.
"New Zealand acts like Kora, Katchafire, Fat Freddy’s Drop and Trinity Roots were very influential for me as a young kid. They really sparked my interest in reggae music," Cleland says.
"Giddy Up by Katchafire is one of my first memories of hearing roots music and I had the Kora album on repeat when it came out. It’s pretty trendy to hate on this music — terms like ‘barbecue reggae’ and that — but there is a lot more to some of these artists than a few singles.
"It was definitely inspiring to see Six 60 make it this far from their beginnings here in the student scene. They’re cool people and we’ve learnt a lot about the industry from both watching their career and actually meeting them."
Officially formed in 2011, Summer Thieves’ lifespan goes back further, to when Barton and Ward met at Kings High School.
"From about the age of 14 me and Johnny were playing cover gigs and a few originals at pubs. One of our parents had to be there every week for our regular jam spot," Barton recalls.
"We all have different influences in the way we individually play and tackle a song, but I was brought up listening to Sublime and Jack Johnson. Kora, Salmonella Dub and Katchafire were blowing up when I was like 13 so that was a huge part of my high school days and they are still some of my favourite artists."
Combining elements of reggae, hip-hop, funk and rock, Summer Thieves started work on their debut album in 2014 following the release of a self-titled EP, created as part of Barton’s postgraduate music degree at the University of Otago.
The group enlisted the expertise of New Zealand producer and musician Tiki Taane, who flew from his Waikato base to record the band at the university’s Albany St facility over a week. Those sessions provided the foundation of Warped, although Barton headed to Taane’s farm studio to overdub his vocals.
"We didn’t rush," Barton explains.
"Because we have such a good relationship with Tiki, we were never shy of going back and fourth, changing minor things and just getting the sound we wanted.
"We just had fun with it. We took it song by song, with different approaches depending on the track. Some we wanted raw and with little production, so we would all play live together and try to capture something special. For others we just layered things out."
Cleland: "Tiki produced the whole album, top to bottom. It was more than just us recording some songs and getting him to mix them. He was there for each take and had a lot of input and advice on arrangement, structure, instrumentation, tones; all while keeping it ‘us’."
The release of Warped comes on the back of a busy past few years for Summer Thieves, who relocated to Auckland in 2015 to pursue their musical ambitions.
Having supported a range of international and national acts, including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Ocean Alley, Katchafire, Sons of Zion and Sticky Fingers, and performed at summer festivals such as Rhythm and Vines, the group has signed a deal with major label Universal Music Group.
To celebrate the release of Warped, Summer Thieves are embarking on a short national tour that includes gigs in Dunedin and Wanaka, while a more extensive New Zealand tour is planned for October.
As Spencer reflects, the band’s progression hasn’t been meticulously planned, yet it does reflect a collective work ethic.
"We went from playing parties and bars to opening slots for touring bands and our own shows. The student population makes Dunedin an ideal place to start bands and businesses alike: a really condensed population of young people who have plenty of spare time and are keen to experience new things.
"Doing it right is key. [It’s about] making your mark ... playing to as many people as possible in the best environments and making it count. These are things we’ve learned along the way. We certainly didn’t have it all sorted and planned from the start.
"We’re always learning new lessons about every aspect of performing, from preparation and practice, through to the final product."
Cleland: "Over the years we have learned the intricacies of how a good gig should work, and become more professional on and off the stage."
See them, hear them
• Summer Thieves’ debut album Warped is out now.
They play the following shows in the South:
• Captain Cook Hotel, Dunedin, August 24
• Water Bar, Wanaka, August 25
