L.A.B was formed in 2017 by drummer and producer, Brad Kora, following his split from much-loved New Zealand dub/electronic stalwarts ‘Kora’. L.A.B also comprises brother Stu (also of Kora), Joel Shadbolt (Batucada Sound Machine), former Katchafire bassist Ara Adams-Tamatea, and keyboardist Miharo Gregory. Their groove blends an eclectic mix of reggae, electronic, blues, funk and rock.
Brad Kora says no one from the band has played Bluesfest before. ‘We’re really excited to be playing on such a prestigious festival alongside such an incredible line-up. This is definitely a bucket list festival for us, and to be on the stage representing Aotearoa New Zealand will be great. We can’t wait.’
Having recorded five albums in five years Kora says it’s been hard not touring as much as they usually do, ‘but we’re a band who’ve always wanted to make albums, so to release five, in five years, is something that we are immensely proud of’.
L.A.B. love festivals. ‘We’ve played almost every festival in New Zealand, and the energy that a festival crowd brings is always something that we feed off. This is going to be only our second festival in Australia.’
And who does he want to see? ‘I’d love to see Ian Moss, Midnight Oil, George Benson, Cory Henry. I could keep going, it’s such a massive line-up! These are some artists that we’ve grown up listening to, and who are genuine inspirations to us and to the music we make, and it’s going to be special to see some of them up close’.
For more information on the Bluesfest line-up, visit: bluesfest.com.au.