L.A.B. are a New Zealand reggae band formed in
Whakatāne
Whakatāne ( , ) is the seat of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, whi ...
,
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty ( mi, Te Moana-a-Toi) is a region of New Zealand, situated around a bight of the same name in the northern coast of the North Island. The bight stretches 260 km from the Coromandel Peninsula in the west to Cape Runawa ...
in 2016. 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
Katchafire are an all Māori New Zealand roots reggae band from Hamilton, New Zealand.
History
Katchafire formed in Hamilton in 1997, originally as a Bob Marley tribute band.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)Katchafire keeping NZ reggae scene ...
, as bassist, and Miharo Gregory as keyboardist.
The band mostly composes reggae music, with a mix of electronic, blues, rock and funk music.
Their song "In the Air" topped the
New Zealand Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
in March 2020.
At the end of the year, it was ranked as New Zealand's best-performing single of 2020. It stayed in the top 10 for 73 weeks, longer than any other single, and at 9x platinum is New Zealand's all-time best-selling single. "Why Oh Why" also topped the
New Zealand chart in December 2020.
[. By mid-2021, "Why Oh Way" 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
The Black Seeds are a reggae inspired musical group from Wellington, New Zealand.Campbell-Livingston, Cecelia (2013)The Black Seeds, rooted in reggae, ''Jamaica Observer'', 27 November 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013 Their rocksteady song "One ...
, Mako Road, Bailey Wiley and
Anna Coddington
Anna Coddington (born 14 June 1981) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. She has released four albums. Her previous band 'Duchess', for whom Coddington was songwriter, singer and guitarist, also released a 6 track EP in 2005. In 2015, Coddington ...
in support.
Discography
Studio albums
Remix albums
Singles
Other charted songs
Notes
References
New Zealand reggae musical groups
Pacific reggae
People from Whakatāne
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