It was a long wait, specifically an hour and a half, before the 6-piece Illzilla took the stage. Starting with a subtle Hammond organ dominated tune, the band quickly switched to the hip hop language that their fans were more familiar with. The band are fronted by Mantra and 1/6 though throughout the set however, the Hammond keyboards provided a distinction to other usual hip hop bands.The bass reverberated around the room with jazzy beats, and the guitar solo was easy-going and funky. By this stage, the HiFi Bar was already pretty packed. Punters were bopping along to the beat and working their way to the floor.

Kora, a reggae band from New Zealand, finally graced the HiFi Bar with their groovy rhythms. Once the music started, it was almost like an earthquake had broken out in the venue. The previously rooted crowd sprang to their feet and started dancing to the music. People were just feeling the beat and going with the flow. Kora pumped out the beats, especially the bass, throughout the night. With the use of synths and samples, the reggae music was enhanced, at some points, even crossing over to fusion.

Laughton Kora took turns with Francis Kora for the microphone, with Laughton doing most of the first half and Francis doing the rest. The two voices were unique in their own. Reaching varying pitches, Laughton managed to pull off the higher notes and sing with more emotion. Francis, on the other hand, was more successful in psyching the crowd up with his loud vocals. The keyboard was expertly handled by Dan McGruer, who also played the bass in some of the songs. Drummer Brad Kora provided the basic beats that the crowd could follow easily, while Stuart Kora handled the guitar and backup vocals.

Halfway through the set, Laughton did an introduction of the band. For his introduction, Stuart played a wicked little solo which became slightly hesitant towards the end, causing Laughton to do a thumbs-down jokingly. The crowd however thought otherwise, cheering wildly for Stuart and then each consecutive member as they were in turn introduced. Brad did a magnificent drum solo on his introduction, while Laughton tried playing a quirky little tune with the rest joining in for a bit of a jam.

The instrumental Skool Yard was epic, especially when the climaxes were achieved with screaming-like samples. The crowd was just going wild. In Bodies, a remix of the Drowning Pool song, Francis demanded the crowd to “use your body to shake the floor”, and everytime he hit the pinnacle of the song, the ground trembled from the jumping punters. Down the Road was also played. Midway through the song, the band froze in their various positions, leaving the crowd to holler and cheer for more. And, with just a beat on the drum, the band leaped right back into action with no hesitation. The execution was flawless.

Although they did take their time to dole out the harsher, more energetic songs, the night was still a blast. The punters obviously had a ball of a time. This dynamic quintet is definitely not one to miss.