To say I was excited for tonights gig is an understatement. It had been 2 years since I first saw Kora support Cog at the Enmore, and their great songs and infectious energy made me an instant fan. So to see them again and to introduce a friend to their music was going to make for a memorable night.

We arrived at the Gaelic just as Poetikool Justice took the stage. The room was already three quarters full and buzzing with excitement. PJ were a good choice for support. With their dual vocalists and a lively rhythm section, PJ were able to hold the attention of a crowd who were chomping at the bit to see the headliners. Even when parts of the crowd broke into chants of “Kora! Kora!…”, PJ just chanted along with them before kicking into one of their very danceable songs. This got the crowd moving again and kept them well and truly appeased. With styles ranging from Hip Hop, reggae and ska all the way to RATM inspired metal riffs, PJ showed themselves to be a truly diverse band who could hold their own playing alongside one of the most powerful and exciting bands around.

When Kora walked on stage to set up the last of their gear, the crowd erupted, and the cheering didn’t subside until the band were well into their first number. Set opener ‘Skankenstein’ is a solid hip-hop groove, with a slightly off kilter piano melody over the top. The crowd collectively lost their shit and the whole room could be heard screaming the lyrics back at the band.

As Kora ploughed through song after song from their impressive debut album, they swapped instruments as easily as they mixed styles of music. Not only do they all seem to be able to play any instrument and any kind of music, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a band sing as good as these guys! All the brothers Kora and Dan (the token white boy) have amazing voices and the harmonies throughout the set were simply breathtaking.

In fact, it is almost impossible to point out anything they didn’t do exceedingly well. They played and sang out of their skins, without the smiles leaving their faces. This was truly refreshing to see a band that have been playing together for so long and still having the time of their lives onstage, bouncing off each other and lapping up the applause from the appreciative crowd. It took no time at all for the positive vibe on stage to spread through the whole room, making it feel more like a big family party than a gig.

It was all too soon before they had played most of the songs off their album and a couple of great new tracks. They left the stage, but with the noise the crowd was making I knew we were in for an encore. And it wasn’t long before Kora returned to the stage and lead the crowd in a mass sing-along of "Burning" and "Politician" (the latter an older song I hadn’t heard before).

Soon I was joining the rest of the crowd in bellowing “poli, poli, poli, politician. Can you make the right decision for all of us?” Showing how catchy and memorable every one of their songs is. Their final encore was another new song: a driving drum and bass number. This excites me – that an already diverse band is still branching out into new territories. I know I’m not the only one eagerly awaiting their second album, but if these new songs are anything to go by it’s going to be a cracker!

As the band took their final bow and a satisfied crowd filed out, I glanced at my mate who was dripping with sweat and beaming from ear to ear. “What did you think of that?” I asked him. “We gotta see those guys again!” was his only reply…… another Kora convert.

The header photo was taken from Kora's Myspace Page.