L.A.B

Bay of Plenty reggae/soul/dub group L.A.B is an eclectic mashup of musicians from Kora, Katchafire and Batucada Sound Machine. In March 2020 the band's track 'In the Air' became both their first number one, and the first single by a New Zealand artist to top the local charts since Lorde's 'Green Light' in 2017. L.A.B — whose name was is based on the idea of a creative laboratory — released a series of self-titled albums each year from 2017 to 2019. Voted the Best Live Act of 2019 by Radio New Zealand listeners, the five-piece band was a finalist for Best Group and Best Roots Artist at the 2019 Vodafone NZ Music Awards.