Hoodaki Making More Music For the Masses

If you were going to be someone famous, it would pay to have an interesting name, but for Jago Byatt he doesn’t need to change a thing.

The well-known rocker, singer, guitarist and songwriter has just recorded two new songs with his band Hoodaki.

And the icing on the cake is that his clever 13-year-old daughter Ella has designed the cover.

Hoodaki consists of a trio of James Hargest teachers who have been playing together for so long they can’t remember.  “It’s definitely our ‘sanity valve,” Byatt said.

Simon Richardson is on drums and backing vocals, while Paul Burrows is the bass player and also sings as well (backing vocals).

The band won best original song My Bed at a battle of the bands in Auckland last year, where Split Enz original bass player Mike Chunn was on the panel.

Originally from Barnet in London, Byatt said people tell him their music has quite an English sound, and given that they perform songs like ‘London Calling’ by The Clash, there is definitely some alternative punk in there too.

The trio performs covers at personal gigs like weddings and birthdays but Byatt has always written his own material.  “As of late, I’ve been writing a lot,” he said.

Bug Eyed and Satisfied and Sweep It Under The Rug will both be out soon on Spotify.

Killing Time

“There are five original songs on Spotify at the moment.  Hopefully it won’t be too long before we get a few more out there.”

They’re hoping to record all of the other songs Byatt has written and then put out a complete album at some stage.

Their last recording was written during the first lockdown and is called ‘Killing Time’, and features another James Hargest teacher in the horn section (Emma Jarman).  She also managed to recruit a few friends and ex-students as well.