Having seen Kora a few times before I knew I was in for something special. It's not too often u get an amazing international act come to your local and this was a show I was not going to miss.
A few days prior I heard the MAP Project had got the local support. These guys were well deserving of this show, they have been working hard for so long and I know Massy is a big fan of Kora being the one that introduced him to the band when they supported COG at the tivoli.
When I arrived the Map project had just broke into their first song and wow, talk about having the vibe pumping from the first note. The guys pumped out a set that was in your face, punchy and full of energy. They rolled into each song with no breaks keeping the crowd dancing and the energy high. The MAP project absolutely rocked showing that our local talent can rock a crowd from the get go.
Next up was the support who Kora brought from NZ, Kids In Space. It was a bit different to what I expected. The band were more like two MCs with a backing track and rhythm guitarist. Someone in the crowd mentioned they were the best band to come out of NZ and said that was their original name 'The best band to come out of NZ'. I think he was being cynical. These guys didnt really do much for me personally and the energy seemed to drop from the Map project. It took a while and a few beverages for the crowd to warm to them aswell but by the end of the set they found their mojo and got the crowd dancing.
Finally the moment we had been waiting for. The lads from Kora first did the hard work of setting up their own gear and doing their own sound checks. You could tell they are an act who know the road and have come from humble beginnings but are still doing the hard yards. I got a brief moment to catch up with Francis the vocalist/bass player. What a legend, even in his busy time he made time to have a quick conversation. From the opening note the band demanded the attention of the crowd and the domination of the stage. Francis ripped the mic off the stand and belted a massive wail which set the precedent for the rest of the set to come. Kora belted into 2 new songs which were not far from the last cd. It was a heavy groove which you just had to move to. They then floated into songs off their debut album such as the the in your face 'Skankinstein' and 'Flow'. Their downtime song for the set being 'Politician' still kept the crowd engaged. It was a real special moment hearing that song played live knowing it was pretty much the anthem for Peregian originals for 2010. I am pretty sure there are lot of people who don't know Kora are the creators of that special song with how dark and heavy the rest of their sound can be.
To conclude this awesome evening the band belted out a new song that seen the drummer Brad Kora rip into a fast breakbeat while the other brothers Stu, Francis, and Laughton floated their amazing vocal range around an electronic ambience created by Dan Mcgruer. Kora are a well oiled machine with extremely talented musicians. They were constantly swapping instruments and taking turns on lead vocal. Their 3 part harmonies were seamless and their grooves were heavy and dynamic. The best way to describe them is heavy grooves with a cross of rock, dub, funk, reggae with a blend of soulful vocals and electronic breakbeats. By the reaction of the crowd it seemed the Kings Beach Tavern was owned by Kiwi's. It's a shame their Aussie fans still remain dormant but believe me once you get a small taste of this act on cd you will be craving to see them live and when you do the rest of the world will have already witnessed this amazing acts live Epic hard hitting show. Don't be left behind. Get into Kora!!!!!
- Brett |
