MOKOMOKAI - The Lowlands Tour
This April, the celebrated Māori hip-hop group MOKOMOKAI, are headed across the tasman sea to tour Australia for the first time.
Known for moody songs that explore habits and contradictions, the push and pull between life in the city and the country, and how young boys running wild in the dark grow into principled men who’d do anything to protect their whānau, their live show is unforgettable.
Since 2022, MANU, DUSTY and GHOS have released three celebrated albums: MOKOMOKAI (2022), WHAKAREHU (2023), and PONO! (2025), on pounamu green, merlot red and whalebone white vinyl, no less. Across those treasured taonga, they’ve collaborated with a who’s who of Aotearoa hip-hop, soul and funk talents, including Brandn Shiraz, Melodownz, Mā, Troy Kingi, Lukan Raisey, Tyra Hammond, Lui, Chip Matthews, Willie Wes and Tai Walters.
On a sonic level, their music blends jazz and exotica loops, taonga pūoro (traditional Māori instruments), hard, programmed drums and live basslines and guitars to a cinematic mode of moody, lower tempo boombap. It’s a backdrop that captures the gritty realities of young lives lived fast in small towns and inner city backstreets across Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu (New Zealand).
The bloody, beating heart of their music is the relationship between DUSTY and GHOS’ meticulously arranged beats and MANU’s magnetic rhymes and presence. Their songs shift effortlessly from jaw-dropping narratives to laugh-out-loud punchlines, introspection and social observation, drawing audiences into a world that feels intimate and expansive. On stage, their energy is electrifying and undeniable, imbued with a vibe you can almost reach out and touch. A night with MOKOMOKAI is always a night to remember.
Celebrated by Rolling Stone Australia/New Zealand, Sniffers, Radio New Zealand and The Spinoff, their records and performances have earned them international acclaim. In 2025, MOKOMOKAI won Te Rōpū Mariu Favourite Group at the SRN’s Aotearoa Alternative Awards, solidifying their spot as one of the most exciting contemporary hip-hop acts in Aotearoa. That same year, their single ‘KUPE’ featuring Melodownz was nominated for Single of the Year at the Aotearoa Music Awards.
MOKOMOKAI April 2026 Australian Tour Dates:
Naarm (Melbourne) – The Night Cat, Saturday 18th April
Warrane (Sydney) – Crowbar Sydney, Friday 24th April
Meanjin (Brisbane) – Crowbar Brisbane, Saturday 25th April
Boorloo (Perth) – Goodwill Club, Sunday 26th April
Support acts to be announced. Presale tickets are available here. Further tour updates will follow.