Биография

Originally hailing from Whakatane, four musical brothers from the Kora family, Laughton, Francis, Stuart and Brad, began playing together as a band in the early 1990s under the name Auntie Beatrice, winning the national Rockquest high school band competition in 1991 and the East Coast Battle Of The Bands three years running. In early 2002 Kora's core members Laughton and Francis recorded a four-song demo while on holiday in Queenstown, sharing songwriting duties with local muso Dan McGruer who also joined them on bass and keyboards. The Volume EP was released in 2004 and the band quickly developed a reputation as one of the nation's finest live acts. A debut LP followed in 2007, the eponymous “Kora” which went to #1 in the New Zealand charts, spending a year in the top 40 and reaching double-platinum status. Live performances at festivals cemented their reputation. Quickly on its heels was a “Kora! Kora! Kora!” remix LP by Sheffield's post-punk electronic innovators Cabaret Voltaire. The 2012 follow up LP “Light Years” continued to show the band's ability to fuse their influences, from reggae to metal to hip hop. This album achieved platinum sales and cemented Kora as a top tier act in their home country. The success of 2016's "Carolina" showed the band will always have a loyal audience. After a break focusing on other projects 2020 saw the 1st of the eagerly awaited new recordings, beginning with "Secret Lover" and with more releases throughout 2021 and 2022.