Coterie Are Coming to Ōpōtiki Bringing the Heat and New Tracks

Fresh off a run of shows across Aotearoa and Australia, Coterie are set to bring their signature groove to the Eastern Bay of Plenty this weekend.

The brother band, originally from Tauranga, have been making music together for as long as they can remember.

Now based in Perth, their sound may have grown on the road, but their connection to Aotearoa remains at the heart of everything they do.

“We hadn’t done a few shows in New Zealand for a little while… but I think everyone’s buzzing to get back to it,” they say.

That return home is something they don’t take lightly.

With a schedule that regularly sees them crossing the Tasman, the band is quick to acknowledge the life they’re living.

“I think we’re living the dream. It’s better than concreting or something at the moment. So no, we’re blessed.”

Their music reflects that journey, rooted in a shared upbringing filled with classic influences.

“We grew up on all of the classics, a lot of reggae, a lot of R&B, Bob Marley, and then Stevie Wonder, Michael… just all the classics,” they explain. “A lot of groove, you know, always got to be a good groove in there.”

Even their name speaks to that unity.

“It’s an old French word… it just means a group of people working towards the same thing,” they say. “We didn’t really have a name for a while… but once we did, it just made sense.”

That sense of purpose has carried through into some of their most meaningful work, including a te reo Māori version of their track Cool It Down, released for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori in 2022.

“That was beautiful,” they say.

“It’s a love letter to Aotearoa, where our roots are… and I think it translated even better in our native language.”

The response has been especially powerful among younger fans.

“We go to shows, and some of the kids come up and say they like the reo version better.”

As their profile has grown, so too have the opportunities.

The band has collaborated with some of Aotearoa’s biggest names, including Six60 and Sir Dave Dobbyn.

Their take on Dobbyn’s iconic Slice of Heaven quickly turned into a full-circle moment.

“He was like, that’s it, let’s do it… he was just so on board from the start.”

Meanwhile, Six60 played a key role in helping launch their career.

“They literally took us under their wing… they’ve just always been in our corner.”

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Despite playing major cities on both sides of the Tasman, it’s the smaller communities that leave the biggest impression.

“Man, these pockets in Aotearoa—it’s our favourite thing to do,” they say. “You can feel it when you’re on stage… they’re just having the best night of their life.”

That’s exactly the energy they’re expecting to find in Ōpōtiki, where they’ll headline this year’s Ōpōtiki Lantern Festival on Saturday, March 21.

Fans can expect more than just the favourites, too, with the band planning to debut new material from an upcoming album.

“We’re going to play a few new songs as well,” they reveal.

For Coterie, it all comes back to connection; bringing people together through music, wherever they are.

And this weekend in Ōpōtiki, that connection is set to light up the night.

One Double X caught up with Josh and Conrad Fisher, from across the ditch, ahead of their show at the Ōpōtiki Lantern Festival.