Gig Review: Ladi6 @ Butlers Reef, Ōakura – 07/02/2026

Driving from Ngāmotu to Ōakura, Che Fu’s Hold Tight came on the stereo.
“Mama hold tight, I can see the skies are clearing over…”
Right on cue, the clouds began to lift. It felt like an omen.

By the time I reached Butlers Reef, the place was buzzing. A beautifully mixed crowd queued at the door: teenagers still nervous about being asked for ID alongside grey-haired dancers who clearly knew every word that was coming. Generations, shoulder to shoulder.

King Kapisi (Bill Urale) and Che Fu (Che Ness) took the stage as Hedlok, a collaboration that feels less like a side project and more like a celebration of shared history. Both are pioneers of Aotearoa hip-hop, artists who helped define the sound and political spine of a scene. Che Fu brings the sweetness: smooth vocals, light-footed moves, an ease that never slips into complacency. King Kapisi brings the fire: robust, energetic, commanding. Together, they balance each other perfectly. They don’t take themselves too seriously- encouraging the crowd to “clap your sneakers or slap your jandals together,” breaking into air guitar, laughing, sweating, clearly feeding off the joy of playing together.

Moments like Lightwork showcased Kapisi’s beatboxing chops, while Subcranium Feeling revealed some real magic, the two moving in harmony, voices blending. On Reverse Resistance, Kapisi’s lyrics landed with renewed relevance, sharp and political without feeling dated. Che Fu’s Chains – nearly 20 years on – still hit hard, spilling into freestyle hip-hop before sliding into classic favourites like Screems from Da Old Plantation and Fade Away. Every beat landed. This wasn’t nostalgia – it was two artists still doing it for the love, and for the crowd.

Ladi6 followed, opening her set with Pressure. Wrapped initially in a black puffer jacket – soon shed – she moved like a dark bird, arms outstretched, elegant and commanding. There’s a quiet authority to her presence: queenly, but never distant.

Between songs, she offered succinct introductions – not explanations so much as small stories, quick brushstrokes that gave the songs shape and feeling. Behind her, longtime producers Parks (Brent Park) and B.Haru (Brandon Haru) stayed locked in, crisp in white, quietly anchoring the set. Triggering beats, weaving backing vocals and textures that expanded and contracted around Ladi6 without ever crowding her.

Lightbulb from her latest album Le Vā stood out, revealing the soundscape she’s currently exploring – a fresh current running through the set. Introducing the classic Water, Ladi6 smiled and said, “We chopped it up a bit, but you’ll like it,” as Parks and B.Haru threaded these new sounds through the song, reshaping it with contemporary beats and arpeggiated synth lines that pulled the anthem firmly into the present.

Fractions, also from the new album, is an ode to music itself, introduced with the words: “the power to heal me, get me high, I’ll do it till I die.” It landed as both confession and affirmation, got the dance floor going, and already feels like a new classic.

Before Diamonds, Ladi spoke about community – people working for bugger all, holding things together anyway. “We chuck our diamonds in the air in honour of the people we know,” she said, and the sentiment rippled through the room. Again, she brought the why of her writing front and centre: the reason behind the songs, the motivation to keep singing them more than a decade on.

Butlers Reef is a notoriously tricky space for sound, and at times the subs swallowed some of Ladi6’s vocals – a shame, given the clarity and strength of her voice and lyrics. Still, it only served as a prompt to head home and listen again. Her latest album, Le Vā, deserves that kind of close attention.

As the night wound down, driving home under a wet, streaked sky, it was clear: decades on, Hedlok and Ladi6 still make music that lands, lingers, and matters. 

Photo Credit: Jenny Feaver for Muzic.NZ
Ladi6 Photo Gallery
Hedlok Photo Gallery