Formed by Brad Kora, L.A.B comprises his brother Stu Kora, Ara Adams-Tamatea, Miharo Gregory & frontman Joel Shadbolt. Featuring former members of two of New Zealand’s premier acts Kora & Katchafire, L.A.B have staked their claim as the best live act on the stages of New Zealand & Australia.
2024 saw the anticipated release of their new album, L.A.B VI. After recording & releasing their first five albums in a five year span, L.A.B VI arrives after a two year-long period of writing, recording, tweaking & finessing. The album has been acclaimed by fans & critics alike, described as “full of songs of formidable prowess” & “the band’s most cohesive & ambitious record to date”, while being named by Rolling Stone as one of the Best New Zealand Albums of 2024.
A formidable live act, the band followed up the release of their new album with sell-out shows across NZ and Australia over summer 2025. The past two years have seen them spread their wings globally, with their first sold-out performances in the USA at venues such as the Roxy and House of Blues San Diego. The USA run was capped off with a performance at the iconic California Roots Festival & a sold-out debut Hawaiian show. The band also sold-out their first European shows at Amsterdam’s Paradiso & London’s O2 Forum.
After winning Best Group, Best Song & Best Album two years in a row at the Aotearoa Music Awards, taking out Best Record at the 2022 Rolling Stone Awards, Best Song at the 2023 Rolling Stone Awards and being voted New Zealand’s Best Live Act by Radio New Zealand, L.A.B’s list of accolades continues to grow with each release.
After releasing five albums in five consecutive years, the band have cemented themselves on the NZ charts, with ‘In The Air’ & ‘Why Oh Why’ both reaching Number One. Their accomplishments include all five albums reaching multi-platinum/Gold status, alongside 20 multi-platinum singles & 10 gold singles. In a short period, L.A.B have become a mainstay in the NZ Music Charts and on the festival circuit, performing at every major festival across NZ & Australia.