Kora,and a few more favourites to boot

Tag : Trekking Boot


 Auckland International is somewhat more airy, all clean white linesand burger bars; that is until you find yourself trekking to theshed next door known as the Domestic Terminal.

Like Cabaret Voltaire, it's the size of a bemused dad's garage withechoing acoustic appeal for teenage grunge wannabes and a worryingdamp patch climbing the wall at the back on the left hand side.With Kora in town for a jumping gig last night, however, thesimilarities didn't just end there, a bottle of beer cost justabout the same, there were just as many Kiwi accents in the roomand more greenstone fish-hook pendants than duty free sells in adecade.

Kora are also the sort of friendly guys you might find the time toshare a six-pack of Speights with while waiting for a connectingflight to Stewart Island. Laid back and thoroughly into theirmusic, they exude a rugged and healthful on-stage energy. Theirgrowing following back home translated into a massive ex-patturnout to support the four Maori brothers from Whakatante andtheir token white dude from Wellington, via Queenstown, who playedan infectiously feel good set.

Blending reggae, electronica and a little bit of soul they playedon for an hour after the scheduled end of their set, swappinginstruments and music styles like pick 'n' mix.

Engagingly, the boys move in time together on the stage, shiftingfrom foot to foot in a hunched motion almost as if they're still onthe school rugby pitch practising a Haka.

Zipping through virtually everything on their debut album, Kora,and a few more favourites to boot, the crowd sang alongenthusiastically to hits Politician, Skankenstein and Burning.Their reaction a marked difference to the subdued welcome supportacts Red and Tivoli received, both of whom played excellent, ifeclectic, sets. Red opened with a volley of remarkable beat boxingand live looping while Rotherham-based Tivoli's traditional guitarband rocked with some zinging tunes.

Entreating the audience to stay till 3am when the drinks gotcheaper, lead singer Laughton Kora ended the set with a secondencore and then, in true Kiwi fashion, took his own place at thebar with the rest of the performers.

Maori culture may well have helped New Zealand to sell itself totourists all over the world, but it's still rare to see Maoripeople in the arts share the public eye outside of the country.Kora may just have a chance to change all that, leaving room forweird reports of airports all over the world. Mind you, that oneabout the four Kiwi cement workers, the dead pig and a hole in theHong Kong airport runway is probably best left for another time andplace.

'I love Kora, they rock. Awesome'

Iain Imrie, 29, retail manager, Tollcross: "It was a great set. Iliked the warm up guys too. It's a shame they're not making anotherPolice Academy film, that beat box guy would be well at home. Korawere great too, their set just went on and on. My girlfriendbrought me and I was pleasantly surprised."

Karena Runa, 24, Senscot worker, Wellington NZ: "Tonight wasamazing. I've seen them before in New Zealand and it's always agood time when you see Kora."

Hailey Smith, 22, student, London Road: "Good atmosphere. Didn'texpect it to be quite so busy for a Monday night and I know none ofmy Scottish friends had heard of them. I hadn't seen them before soI thought I might as well come and check them out. It was a greatvibe."

Ariana McLean, 24, PA, Wellington, NZ: "It was so awesome. I loveKora, they rock. Just awesome. They're from New Zealand so wethought we'd come down and support them. We love Cabaret Voltairetoo anyway, so we come to all the things that are on here."