Katchafire and Steel Pulse Legend David Hinds Unite for Reggae Revival Single

Nearly 25 years into a career built on Māori-rooted Pacific reggae, Katchafire has brought in one of the genre's most recognizable living voices: David Hinds, founding member and creative force behind Birmingham's Steel Pulse, for a new single titled "Reggae Revival." The track arrives April 10 as the lead single from Revival 2.0 – Guest Edition, the New Zealand band's most broadly collaborative project to date.

Hinds doesn't just lend his name to the record. His influence runs through the songwriting and the message itself, shaping "Reggae Revival" into something that carries the conscious, roots-driven weight Steel Pulse built its reputation on across five decades of UK-roots music. Katchafire described the collaboration as "a moment that elevates both the music and the wider mission behind it," with the single positioned as "a statement of intent: a song that honours tradition while pushing the band's sound into fresh, exciting territory."

"Reggae Revival" is the second in a monthly single rollout Katchafire is running toward the full album, due in November 2026. The first, "Seriously" featuring Ali Campbell of UB40, dropped February 6. The confirmed guest list already spans the width of the global roots scene: Mike Love from Hawaii, Australian First Nations artist Emily Wurramara, and Jamaican veterans Third World. New Zealand, the UK, Hawaii, Australia, and Jamaica on one record, with more contributors still to be announced.

What makes the Hinds pairing register as more than a standard guest feature is the specific tension it creates. Katchafire has spent two decades weaving Māori cultural identity into a Pacific reggae sound that is distinctly their own. Hinds brings roots-consciousness forged in Birmingham's Caribbean diaspora, a tradition of protest and uplift that Steel Pulse carried from the Handsworth community to stages worldwide. When those two distinct reggae genealogies meet on the same track, it functions less like a collaboration and more like a convergence.

For playlist curators, DJs, and festival bookers tracking cross-market roots releases, April 10 is the date to flag. The single lands just ahead of Katchafire's Hawaii shows on April 16 in Kona and April 17 at Andrews Amphitheater on the UH Manoa campus, giving "Reggae Revival" immediate live context the week it drops.