Born in Auckland, in 2010, Ekko Park is a 4 piece rock band best described as “a ship captained by an Irishman and crewed by 3 kiwis” – singer Joe, a born and bred Belfast boy, travelled the globe playing music before settling in NZ, where he teamed up with 3 kiwi fellas. A collaboration of diverse backgrounds forming a unique and explosive offering in the NZ music landscape. Thanks to Nick for answering the following questions:
Which one of your songs are you most proud of, and why?
I love them all for different reasons, at the moment I've got a big buzz around the new songs we have written, but if I had to pick one song from the album it would be My Crime, that song introduced Ekko Park to a lot of people thanks to rock radio in NZ and stations in the UK, Europe and online, and is a highlight of the live set.
Where is your favourite place to relax in NZ?
Without a doubt my parent's old farm near Te Awamutu, there's a mountain on the land called Te Kawa, from the top you can see as far as Mt Ruapehu, some serious serenity goes on up there, but for a day trip around Auckland I can't think of anywhere better than Karekare.
What has been your most memorable show to date?
It really is too hard to say, we have been lucky to play some wicked shows in the past 24 months, the recent tour with I Am Giant is one we will remember, and our album release show last November was packed to the rafters, a very special night.
What local albums have you been enjoying recently?
The new Shihad record is killer! also part III in the Delaney Davidson & Marlon Williams album series.
What is Ekko Park’s long term goal?
We have been steadily progressing in New Zealand and are now working our way into the Ireland/UK market. Our biggest passion is playing live and we want to take our music to as many parts of the world that we can.
Where do you get your inspiration to create music from?
As individuals we all get inspiration from different places, especially when it comes to the music we listen to, we all listen to different music and when we come together the music we create is very natural, its just what comes out when the 4 of us are in a room together.
What can we expect to see from Ekko Park over the next year?
Lots of shows and new music! There's some exciting things in the pipeline for the rest of 2014 and 2015, watch this space.
Tell us about Ekko Park’s next release.
We have been writing ever since the 1st album came out in November and have begun recording album number 2. The songs still have that Ekko Park sound but naturally we have matured a lot and there is something new and exiting about what we have coming out next.
What can you never leave home without?
A charged phone with an updated music playlist.
Ekko Park released their highly anticipated, independently released second album Know Hope in October 2015, going straight in to the Official NZ Album Chart at #13 and was the #5 Kiwi album.
2017 saw the release of the single Going Uptown which continued the bands rise and success in Europe, culminating in Ekko Park's first ever European Tour across Italy with a stop in Ireland.
2018 starts in earnest as the band welcomes new guitarist Alex Hargreaves to the team.