L.A.B ready to rock the nation with one of summer's biggest tours

By Sarah Illingworth

NZ Herald·

16 Dec, 2021 04:00 AM3 mins to read

L.A.B are playing one of summer's biggest tours. (L-R) Stu Kora, Brad Kora, Joel Shadbolt, Miharo Gregory, Ara Adams-Tamatea. Photo: Sarah Hunter.

Suddenly finding yourselves to be one of the biggest musical acts in the country has been a real head-spin for the hugely popular reggae-fusion group L.A.B.

But as 2021 winds down, it's hard not to think that the band is just getting started.

Tomorrow they release the follow-up to last year's chart-topping, No.1 album L.A.B IV, with the appropriately titled L.A.B V - their fifth album in five years.

Last week Spotify announced that the top three songs streamed in New Zealand were theirs and tomorrow they'll find out how many Tui's they walk away with out of their six nominations at the Aotearoa Music Awards, including Single of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Group, and People's Choice. They'll be hoping to add to the trophy cabinet which recently got stocked with three awards earlier this year at the Waiata Māori Music Awards; Best Māori Group, Best Song and Best Album.

And, if that wasn't enough, dates have just been announced for their massive summer shows which sees them playing three stadium shows around Aotearoa with the likes of Ladi6, Shapeshifter, the Black Seeds and Sir Dave Dobbyn.

"We pinch ourselves," frontman Joel Shadbolt says, talking about their meteoric rise. "L.A.B's the biggest thing all of us have done. We have people in the band that have been in Katchafire and Kora, and know this kind of success is pretty rare. We're taking it in our stride, but also being very grateful for the fact that we're able to make a living out of it, and do it."

Shadbolt was handpicked for the band by former Kora drummer Brad Kora, who happened to see him performing with Wellington's now defunct funk merchants Batucada Sound System on breakfast TV in 2015. It was a Simon Cowell level of talent spotting as L.A.B now boast three platinum albums, two number one singles and routinely pull audiences numbering thousands.

It was last year's L.A.B IV that cemented their popularity, after third album went double platinum and won People's Choice Award, and Best Roots Artist at the 2020 Aotearoa Music Awards.

"It's been quite a buzz. 'In The Air' was taking off as last summer was finishing, during the first lockdown. The Spark show we did coming out of lockdown was our first arena show and it sold out," Joel recounts. "Pretty much since then, it's been crazy."

As if taking it in for the first time he muses, "If Covid wasn't around, would we have had the same success?" before answering, "Probably not, because the market's not saturated by international acts. We've had more of a chance to get out and about."

And, to stay in. The band spent the last six months writing and recording their new LP which comes out tomorrow. Joel promises it will satisfy existing fans of their trademarked summery goodness, while pushing the group in new directions – including featuring the band's first collab, a cover with an exciting new artist...

Shadbolt's also stoked to be teaming up with some established heavyweights for their summer tour which sees them playig New Plymouth's Bowl Of Brooklands on Saturday January 8, Christchurch's Hagley Park a week later on Saturday January 15 before concluding with a huge show at Auckland's Western Springs Stadium on Saturday, January 22.