VIBE: L.A.B, Katchafire and more about to bring the Good Vibes

When Bay of Plenty favourites L.A.B hit the Good Vibes stage this weekend, they'll be joined by their newest addition - keyboard player Miharo Gregory.

Gregory joins members Brad Kora (drums), Stu Kora (guitar/keys), Joel Shadbolt (vocals/guitar) and Ara Adams-Tamatea (bass) as the fifth official member and Shadbolt expects him to fit in seamlessly with the band when they perform for fans.

"It's going to be his first show with us this weekend, so pretty exciting," Shadbolt says.

Adding a new dynamic to the band was a decision they made after summer and Wellington-based Gregory, who worked with the band on their second album, seemed the perfect fit.

"He's a great musician ... he's got like a unique sound to his playing, like a unique style, he's got his own voice as a musician, that's the first thing we noticed."

First stop as the new look L.A.B is Napier on Saturday as part of the Good Vibes Winter Tour, which features some of Aotearoa's most-loved acts. Included in the line-up is L.A.B, Katchafire, Tomorrow People and 1814 alongside international acts Josh Wawa, LaTasha Lee, and local rising star Lion Rezz.

The seven-stop tour will head to Mount Maunganui, Napier, Gisborne, Porirua, Hamilton, Tokoroa and Auckland between July 26 and August 10. The Mount Maunganui show will be held on July 27 at the Trustpower Baypark Arena.

Shadbolt says their set will include tracks from their first two albums and he's looking forward to not only performing to a home-town crowd, but also Porirua because of the vibe of the crowd.

"It's going to be great."

He says having a festival in winter is a great opportunity for musicians.

"For us musicians, New Zealand is such a small country it's hard to make a living out of it fulltime so whenever there's an opportunity to do more touring or get out there and play in front of people it's a great opportunity.

"And to have a winter tour ... it's that kind of bridge between the summers."

Organiser Pato Alvarez, from Pato Entertainment, says Good Vibes Winter Festival is about providing summer vibes in the cold winter months.

"This is our first winter festival and the demand has been huge, we are close from selling out and it's going to be a day, night to remember, full of good music and positive energy," Alvarez says.

Good Vibes Winter Festival will be an annual event and Alvarez says he's already booking bands for next year.

Good Vibes Winter Festival 2019:
Saturday, July 13: Pettigrew Arena, Napier (General Fiyah and Paua replace Latasha Lee and Josh Wawa).
Friday, July 26: Gisborne Showgrounds, Gisborne.
Saturday, July 27: Trustpower Baypark Arena, Mount Maunganui.
Friday, August 2: Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland.
Saturday, August 3: Te Rauparaha Arena, Porirua.
Friday, August 9: The Factory, Hamilton.
Saturday, August 10: South Waikato Events Centre, Tokoroa.