From buskers in Wellington to world pop-sensations, New Zealand's four-piece Drax Project have taken the music world by storm. With over a million monthly listeners on Spotify, their music blends hooky pop, jazz and hip-hop, influenced by each of the bands' individual tastes. Having toured with the likes of both Camilla Cabello, Ed Sheeran and Christina Aguilera, the boys have no shortage of stories from the road. We're stoked to have them share their top five tour memories, from the wild to the whacky!

Keen to catch Drax Project live? Grab your tickets to their upcoming show at The Triffid, Brisbane on Saturday 16 September below!

Words by Drax Project:

Over the last couple of years of limited touring, it's been easy to file away some of the funny (and kinda wild) memories that we've made because of music, but with the opportunity to get back out on the road it's good to recall some of our favourite tour and show memories and get excited for new ones! We've chosen a few of the weird and wonderful experiences we've had on tour as a band for you and hope you enjoy!

The Cheese Curd Festival 

We once played at a Cheese Curd festival (yes, you read that correctly!) in Appleton WI. That night we ended up at a bar called The Dirty Leprechaun, being fed too many Long Island Iced Teas by the owner who only referred to himself as "JOHNNY BOOOOOY!" The night ended up with us behind the bar singing "Slice of Heaven" (by Dave Dobbyn) at the top of our lungs and Ben having to basically carry Sam home.

Running of the Chihuahuas

Another event we remember fondly was at The Running Of The Chihuahuas in Chattanooga, an event where 300 people bring their Chihuahuas down and race them for prizes. No dogs were harmed in the process, and neither was our reputation as a serious musical act!

Camila Cabello's Cupcakes

At the end of the run of shows we opened for Camilla Cabello on her 'Never Be The Same' tour in Europe, she sent us a card, and mountain of cupcakes to say thank you. As it turned out, Matt was the only one who could eat them due to dietary restrictions, so he was lumped with that task of eating them all! The feeling of being on the other side of the world and playing our music to a sea of lights was other worldly, and something we remember fondly!

Nice to Meet You!

We played a few shows with Brian McKnight when he toured NZ in 2016, and our guitarist Ben got so nervous on meeting one of his all-time favourite guitarists, Isiah Sharkey (who plays with Brian) that he introduced himself as Matt (who plays drums in Drax Project). We ended up hanging with the band more, and we're pretty sure he was super confused about who was who for the rest of that tour!

Fashionably Early

After we opened for Ed Sheeran in Auckland, and hearing 40k people blow us away by singing our music back to us, we got invited to the afterparty. We were so keen, that we arrived a good hour before anyone else did, and we were sat at this restaurant basically hanging out with the bar staff. The guac and chips sustained us until everyone turned up though, and we ended up playing pool with a lovely ginger haired British man!