Fresh Talent: The Have

Wanganui rock band The Have should consider writing a book called ‘How To Become Rock Stars in 9 Months’! The four-piece only began playing together in March, but have already won the smokefreerockquest, recorded a single and music video, and are now fielding offers from a handful of record labels.

The rollercoaster ride started at Wanganui High School, when singer and guitarist Brodie White, along with bassist Blair Gibson, began jamming with fellow classmates Peter Mangan (guitar) and Mike Tweed (drums). “Me and Blair were in a band together,” Brodie says. “We came second in the smokefree rockquest regionals last year, and did nothing else. Peter was in a punk band, but those bands kind of fell apart and we just ended up jamming. We knew Mike could play the drums ’cause me and him used to kick out the jams in our shed. Then it all came together in music class in March.”

The Have’s first single, Right On, can be heard on Auckland’s bFM and the Channel Z network, and if all goes to plan the accompanying video will be all over the TV by the time you read this. The single was recorded at York Street Studios, and the boys were very pleased with the results. “Yeah, Right On just sounds really really good – really phat," says Brodie. “And we really enjoyed our time up at York Street. It was an experience.”

History’s giants such as Led Zeppelin and the Beatles are mentioned as main influences for the group, as opposed to their modern Kiwi counterparts. “The newer bands, like The Datsuns and The D4 are good,” says Brodie, “but they've kind of been more like our inspiration than anything. Inspiration to do what we want to do.”

And while The Have may be on the second wave of the rock revival, Brodie says their choice of name had little to do with current trends. “We came up with it ages and ages ago, pre the big explosion of ‘The’ bands. When we started we just said, ‘Uh, we’ll call ourselves The Have’, we wanted something different, but we didn’t want to try and come up with a cool name, we just thought, ‘We’ll keep it simple’.”

The Have plan to spend the next few months honing their already formidable live act, and are expecting more of the unexpected in the future. “It’s been a wild ride, really hectic and full-on, but it’s been cool,” laughs Brodie. “I guess it all happens for a reason.”