Blown away: Chocolate Strings travels from Queensland to play at Pako Festa this weekend.
ERIN PEARSON
QUEENSLAND reggae group Chocolate Strings has been to hell and back over the past month, according to drummer Kasper Skou.
The band was looking forward to playing in this weekend’s Pako Festa after the drama of the state’s cyclone and flooding disasters, the latter of which washed away Skou’s house and possessions.
Skou said the band’s “brother-and-sisterhood approach” helped him recover from the flood trauma.
“The flood completely sucked my house under, so I’m couch-surfing at the moment,” he told the Independent as the band prepared for its journey to Geelong.
“Where we live in the west end of Brisbane is the reggae-funk hub of Australia and everyone seems to get along and support one another – everyone’s been great.”
The band, which was commonly referred to as The Strings, began as a three-piece for a charity fundraiser in Brisbane.
The band had since begun work on a second album after working with such artists such as Fat Freddy’s Drop, Charli Tuna and Katchafire, Skou said.
The group had also found its way onto bills for events including Shine On and Woodford Folk festivals and Kuranda Roots.
Skou said the diverse cultural backgrounds of the eight-piece group added to its soulful beats and acoustic grooves.
“I grew up with a family who were in love with the blues and a bit of soul and rock. Our saxophone player is heavily into jazz and our three singers have always been into reggae, soul and R ‘n’ B,” he said.
“Culturally, we’ve got Tongan, Papua New Guinean, Danish, German, Scottish and Australian band members.
“Music brought us together and now we’ve got our own little family.”
Skou said the musical mixture was looking forward to its debut Geelong performance at Pako Festa.
“We absolutely love these festivals because we’re all very culturally driven,” he said.
“We just love getting into this sort of stuff.”
Skou will join Ofa Fanaika and Alex Skinner on vocals and guitar, Chris McKelliget on bass, Nikkie McWalters and Nia Falekakala on backing vocals, Matty C on drums and Joshua Appleby on saxophone.
Chocolate Strings will perform from 3pm on Pako Festa’s Barking Dog Stage.
The festa runs from 9am to 6pm Saturday along Pakington Street, Geelong West.
