New Zealand reggae band L.A.B has announced its biggest outdoor show yet to take place at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium in March, joined by other home-grown talents, including Mako Road, Ladi6, Ria Hall, and The Leers.
It will perform a full-length two-hour set, covering tracks from all three of its albums, plus new material currently in the works.
"After our biggest shows ever at Spark and Claudelands Arenas in July, we're looking forward to taking L.A.B to another level and closing out summer with a bang,” lead singer Joel Shadbolt says.
L.A.B. was founded by brothers Brad and Stu Kora who got together with Joel Shadbolt on lead vocals and guitar and Ara Adams-Tamatea from the Katchafire on bass.
“We're in a fortunate position here in New Zealand currently compared to other parts of the world, and we look forward to delivering a safe and international level show to Aotearoa,” Shadbolt says.
Ria Hall and more
Fresh from the release of her latest album, Manawa Wera, Ria Hall will be bringing her stunning live show to the line-up.
Inspired by classic reggae and soul records of the 1970s such as Third World and musicians such as Jimmy Cliff, Manawa Wera presents a classic reggae sound in a modern Aotearoa context. Hall will bring the sound to life with a full band.
New Zealand's queen of hip-hop, soul and R&B, Ladi6, also joins the bill, bringing her live setup including a full band alongside dancers The Sixxes.
L.A.B will be joined by Mako Road, another of New Zealand’s fastest-rising acts with a laid-back indie-rock sound that has seen them amass over 20 million streams.
Mako Road had two sold-out shows at Auckland’s Powerstation last November and is about to release a debut album in late2020.
Kicking things off will be Mount Maunganui band The Leers, a four-piece exploring the depths of indie rock and roll. The Leers are also planning to release new material later this year.
The venue and Covid-19
The show will take place at Mt Smart Stadium Upper Field, the site ofr the Big Day Out. The Upper Field will enable fans to dance the night away or sit back and relax on the grass and take in the production.
The venue and promoter say they will follow the evolving NZ Event Sector Voluntary Code which sets out best practice guidelines for events under Alert Level 1. If the event cannot proceed due to the pandemic, it will be postponed with all tickets remaining valid.
Tickets are on sale from Tuesday, September 29.