'You feel like the All Blacks' - Joel Shadbolt on playing with L.A.B.
L.A.B. frontman and lead guitarist Joel Shadbolt tells us how he and his bandmates bounce off each other to make magic.
Back in 2015, with a bandaged hand, Joel Shadbolt made his TV debut on Good Morning, singing with the Auckland-based funk band Batucuda Sound Machine. Future bandmate Brad Kora happened to be tuning in.
The drummer (a founding member of Kora) sent Shadbolt a Facebook message saying he was in the wrong band, and that he should come and jam in Whakatāne. When Brad and his brother Stu later invited Shadbolt to join L.A.B., he tells Music 101 the response was, "Is the pope Catholic? Let's go!"
Eleven years on, L.A.B. (an acronym for the names of the band's three original members) are one of the most successful New Zealand bands of the last decade. Shadbolt talks about their dynamic and shares some favourite songs, including a Toto "staple" and the doo-wop classic he teaches guitar students.
L.A.B. backstage at Christchurch's Electric Avenue festival in February 2025. Left to right - Joel Shadbolt, Brad Kora, Stu Kora, Miharo Gregory and Ara Adams-Tamatea.
Lucy Hammond / @hammondvisuals
Although playing in pubs as a teen helped Shadbolt learn "how to get a crowd involved", performing for 10,000 people, as he's now done with L.A.B., is a whole other beast.
At an early L.A.B. gig at the reggae festival Soundsplash in Raglan, acclaimed musicians P. Digsss (lead singer of Shapeshifter), Tiki Taane and Laughton Kora were all watching from the side of the stage.
"Those are the gigs where it was, like, 'Okay, prove your point and do your thing. Show them what you got'."
The Mixtape: Joel Shadbolt
In 2019, 'In The Air' was the first L.A.B. song to really take off, which Shadbolt is "stoked" about because it shows the "most raw" version of a band who work closely together to make the most of their individual strengths.
"It's that yin and yang, that bounce between the different musos and the different heads in the band that creates the magic of L.A.B. and the chemistry.
"You feel unstoppable with the boys. You feel like the All Blacks."
L.A.B.'s 2018 lineup - Brad Kora, Ara Adams-Tamatea, Stu Kora and Joel Shadbolt.
Supplied
While it's been a "journey" figuring out his identity as a frontman, Shadbolt says, when he's just playing the guitar, there's no confusion.
"Guitar is so a part of my identity as a musician, I still feel the guitar is a stronger voice than my actual singing voice.
"I want to play more guitar this year, because I feel like, with my guitar, there's a bit of resurrection."
Joel Shadbolt with Music 101 host Kara Rickard.
So'omalo Iteni Schwalger
Joel Shadbolts mixtape:
'Taking It To The Streets' by The Doobie Brothers:
Shadbolt's "musical encyclopedia" mum had a CD collection which included The Best of The Doobie Brothers, and this song was one of his favourites on it.
With their soul/country/blues/jazz sound and male harmonies, he hears a bit of crossover with L.A.B., and frontman Michael McDonald is one of his favourite singers ever.
"Anything he's touched, it's just like, 'Wow, what a voice."
'Rosanna' by Toto:
Shadbolt was 12 when he started playing guitar with his dad in pubs, where this classic hit from 1983 was a "staple".
"It was like, if you could play the Rosanna groove, then you were in with the cool cats, you know. Still, every time I pick up the sticks, it's the one thing I do. It's like, 'Hey, I know some grooves'."
He even has a tattoo dedicated to the American rock band.
"I've seen them four times now and every time I see them, it's incredible."
'Mary Had a Little Lamb' by Stevie Ray Vaughan:
"Stevie Ray for me is, like, the bread and butter of learning how to improvise on the electric guitar and still to this day is my biggest idol.
"As a guitarist, he basically shaped the concept of improvisation on the guitar for me. How I approach it is very much from that Texas blues kind of sound... he's just a massive idol."
'Use Me' by Bill Withers:
"I don't call myself an avid songwriter. I'm a musician, first and foremost. Songwriting-wise, some artists like Bill Withers inspire the heck out of me
"The way he writes a lyric, the way he tells a story, it's so matter-of-fact. This song is talking about being ... society and being pushed down because of who you are.
"Bill Withers is just a massive influence for me."
'Stand By Me' by Ben E King:
"Dad would always play that song and that was probably the start of me learning how to sing.
"It's [also] the first song when I teach guitar to kids for that exact reason. It's nostalgic for me. It's a good lesson for showing kids where great music is coming from. It's such old, beautiful music, you know."
'Done Did It' by Katchafire:
L.A.B.'s first shows in Australia were supporting Katchafire. On one of the last nights, he made a request to lead singer Logan Bell.
"I was like, 'It's my favourite Katchafire song, can I jump on?' He's like, 'Yeah, man, course."
