Kora's treat is a musical pick 'n' mix

MUSIC review

Kora, Cabaret Voltaire ****

THE airports of New Zealand have strange and disturbing foibles. There's Invercargill's random bagpiper greeting arrivals. And Christchurch, which forgoes God at Christmas in favour of truculent elves on a 'smoko' while waiting for Santa and a giant penguin who likes kidnapping innocent internet users in the departure lounge.

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

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

Kora are also the sort of friendly guys you might find the time to share a six-pack of Speights with while waiting for a connecting flight to Stewart Island. Laid back and thoroughly into their music, they exude a rugged and healthful on-stage energy. Their growing following back home translated into a massive ex-pat turnout to support the four Maori brothers from Whakatante and their token white dude from Wellington, via Queenstown, who played an infectiously feel good set.

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

Engagingly, the boys move in time together on the stage, shifting from foot to foot in a hunched motion almost as if they're still on the 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 along enthusiastically to hits Politician, Skankenstein and Burning. Their reaction a marked difference to the subdued welcome support acts Red and Tivoli received, both of whom played excellent, if eclectic, sets. Red opened with a volley of remarkable beat boxing and live looping while Rotherham-based Tivoli's traditional guitar band rocked with some zinging tunes.

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

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

'I love Kora, they rock. Awesome'

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

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

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

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