L.A.B.

L.A.B.
OriginWhakatāne, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
Genres
LabelsLoop
Members
  • Brad Kora
  • Stuart Kora
  • Joel Shadbolt
  • Stan Walker
  • Ara Adams-Tamatea
  • Miharo Gregory
Websiteloop.co.nz/artists/lab

L.A.B. is a New Zealand reggae band formed in Whakatāne, Bay of Plenty in 2016.[1] Its founding members are Brad Kora (backing vocals and drums) and Stuart Kora (backing vocals, keyboard and guitar) of the band Kora. They soon engaged Joel Shadbolt on lead vocals and guitar, Ara Adams-Tamatea, formerly of Katchafire, as bassist, and Miharo Gregory as keyboardist.[2] The band mostly composes reggae music, with a mix of electronic, blues, rock and funk music.[3][4][5][6][7]

Their song "In the Air" topped the New Zealand Singles Chart in March 2020.[8] At the end of the year, it was ranked as New Zealand's best-performing single of 2020.[9] It stayed in the top 10 for 73 weeks, longer than any other single, and at 9× platinum is New Zealand's all-time best-selling single. "Why Oh Why" also topped the New Zealand chart in December 2020.[10] By mid-2021, "Why Oh Why" had gained popularity at Island Reggae radio stations across Hawaii.

In July 2020, the band announced their first summer show date for January 2021 with The Black Seeds, Mako Road, Bailey Wiley and Anna Coddington in support.[11]

  1. ^ "L.A.B". L.A.B. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  2. ^ "L.A.B". Loop Recordings Aotearoa.
  3. ^ Drever, Andrew (5 December 2019). "New Zealand's L.A.B. keen to keep experimenting". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Nelson has bumper summer entertainment season". Stuff. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  5. ^ "L.A.B." www.muzic.net.nz. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  6. ^ Kristin Macfarlane (15 March 2018). "When creatives connect on all levels, L.A.B magic is made". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  7. ^ "L.A.B – The New Kings of Kiwi Reggae". Critic - Te Arohi. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  8. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 9 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  9. ^ "End of Year Charts 2020". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  10. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  11. ^ "L.A.B. to play 'one-off special show' in Taranaki". Stuff. 6 July 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2020.