How's life in NZ's chillest band? 'Hectic'

Laid-back six-piece Leisure began life at a bach. Now, they're playing Lollapalooza.

It started out as chill as can be. Just some mates at a bach, hanging out, firing up the barbecue, maybe making some music together – but only if they really felt like it. That’s how the six-piece Auckland-based chill-pop group Leisure began.

“It was sunny all day, every day, perfect sunsets every night. Everyone got on really well, everyone was having such a good time, it felt like we were on holiday,” co-founder Jaden Parkes told me back in 2016. “We're not in a rush to do anything.”

When I met up with Parkes again recently, he looked ruffled, flustered, a little rough around the edges. He ordered a strong coffee and kept checking his phone – it turns out his wife was due to give birth at any moment.

At the same time, there was a tour to coordinate: Leisure were about to head out on yet another overseas jaunt, this time without him as he awaited the birth of his child. “How are things?” He sighed, sat down, and replied with one word: “Hectic.”

There’s a reason for that. Four albums in, Leisure are among Aotearoa’s most successful international touring acts. Late last year, they sold out more than a dozen shows across America and Canada in venues that often held 1500 people. Superfans dressed like the group, sang every word and stayed to meet them afterwards.

They’re topping that this year. In March, Leisure took their laid-back vibes to the same stages as Limp Bizkit and Kings of Leon at Estéreo Picnic, a festival in Bogotá, Columbia with a capacity of 160,000. A few days later, they played Mexico’s Tecate Pa’l Norte festival where Kendrick Lamar headlined and the capacity was 200,000.

Right now, Leisure are back on the road and in the middle of a European tour. Every single show is sold out. From there, they’ll head to Chicago to perform at the legendary alt-rock festival Lollapalooza, and after that, they’re in San Francisco for another festival appearance at Outside Lands. “It’s surreal,” says Parkes.

Enthusiastic fans have been copying their look by showing up to gigs in their Steve Jobs turtlenecks. One Mexican fan went so far as getting the band’s name tattooed on their bicep. That’s not all: Leisure’s songs were recently heard on the American reality show Love Island, and have soundtracked a Haagen Dasz commercial.

This, says Parkes, a former member of the 2000s pop-punk group Goodnight Nurse, was never supposed to happen. Leisure didn’t expect their songs to hit lifestyle playlists and soundtrack café brunches, pushing songs like ‘Slipping Away’ and ‘Got it Bad’ to more than 70 million streams each just on Spotify. “It’s caught us by surprise,” he admits.

That’s because Leisure was a reaction to the tough times Parkes and his band mates – Jordan Arts, formerly of Kids of 88, Josh Fountain from Kidz in Space, Tom Young from The Melancholies, Djeisan Suskov from Cool Rainbows, and, more recently, Paul Roper from The Mint Chicks – had experienced in the local music industry. “We knew how hard it was,” he says.

So Leisure took their time. Nothing was rushed. Touring wasn’t a goal. Their self-titled debut came out in 2016, and it took three years to follow that up with 2019’s Twister. They rarely played live shows. Sometimes they returned to the West Auckland bach where Leisure began didn’t make any music at all.

Things changed with their third album, 2021’s Sunsetter. Released as Covid continued to spread, Leisure’s streaming numbers suddenly jumped up. Fans kept messaging via Instagram. They’d post images of river walks or mountain hikes soundtracked by Leisure’s songs. “We picked up people who became really engaged superfans,” says Parkes. “There’s a secret club there.”

Their upward trajectory continued with last year’s fourth album, Leisurevision. But Parkes says they weren’t sure if their surging streaming numbers would translate into ticket sales. Their manager convinced them to book short overseas jaunts. Last year’s US and Canadian tour of 13 dates was a good old roll of the dice.

It’s worked, and it’s still working. “Los Angeles sold out. In New York, both shows sold out. We've done 1500 tickets in London. We've upgraded to 1200 in Netherlands. We did 1000 tickets in Seattle,” says Parkes. “I was like, ‘Wow, this is so awesome.’ That’s the home of Nirvana. You turn up and there's 1000 people and it's insane.”

Their success comes at a time when Aotearoa acts are flying high. Unknown Mortal Orchestra seem to be constantly touring in Canada and America. The Beths just returned from Coachella. Dick Move, Princess Chelsea and Dartz are all pulling crowds in Europe. Earth Tongue just played 49 dates while touring in the back of a van. DJ Messie just performed at Glastonbury.

For Leisure, they’re experiencing the kind of success they dreamed of as kids but struggled to enjoy first time around. This time, it’s on their own terms. “To get here after taking that slow road with it, it's very rewarding,” admits Parkes. He attributes their growing fanbase to the emotions their music evokes. “It's been the consistency of the vibe and the music over a period of time … it’s a cool place to be.”

But it’s still a juggling act. They’re all dads, and they all have full-time jobs. “The balance for us is family, work life [and] the band being on this journey that's kept on moving forward,” says Parkes, who works in A&R at Sony Music. “It’s taken us 10 years to get to this point … I'm 40 now. To be doing this at this point is pretty crazy.”

So Leisure keep trying to find a way to take the slow road whenever possible. If someone has other commitments – like the birth of Parkes’ child – they’ve worked out how to play live as a five-piece. “We can all sing,” says Parkes. In America, instead of flying between shows, they’ve been playing to so many people they’ve been able to afford to rent a tour bus. “They’re expensive, but totally worth it.”

There’s an added bonus. “The noise of the bus, the movement, the cubby holes, and the amount of edibles … it’s an amazing combination,” he says. It’s allowed all six of them to carve out a little slice of leisure time. Yes, just like their first time together at a Muriwai bach, they’re finding time for naps. “We’re getting so much sleep.”

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