Six60 members Marlon Gerbes, left, and Chris Mac backstage before their massive Tomoana Showgrounds concert. Photo / Ian Cooper
Six60 members Marlon Gerbes, left, and Chris Mac backstage before their massive Tomoana Showgrounds concert. Photo / Ian Cooper
Marlon Gerbes used to come to the Hastings Showgrounds every year as a kid for the A & P Show.
On Saturday night the Six60 synths and samples man came to the same venue, now known as Showgrounds Hawke's Bay Tomoana, to play his music for a sellout crowd of20,000 people.
Gerbes said it was really cool to be playing at home, especially at the showgrounds given the part they played in his upbringing.
"We had family that had hot dog stalls, candy floss stalls and so on," he said, laughing that it meant free food every year.
Gerbes, who grew up in Maraenui, said his time as a student at Napier Boys' High School was very formative and he knew education was his way out.
He attended the University of Otago, where Six60 was formed with fellow students Chris Mac, Matiu Walters, Ji Fraser and Eli Paewai, who grew up in Dannevirke.
Marlon Gerbes said it was amazing to play in front of family at the Tomoana Showgrounds in Hastings. Photo / Ian Cooper
"My upbringing in music [in Hawke's Bay] was heavy metal, death metal, big bogan scene here," Gerbes said.
Local favourite drum and bass was also a big touchstone for him, and he said the presence of support act Shapeshifter on Saturday was huge for Hawke's Bay.
